Vacation time is literally around the corner for some parts of the U.S. (many school semesters end in May) and taking a break is probably on just about everyone’s minds as the weather continues to become milder and balmier.  In this week’s Bulletin,  we review a topic we’ve introduced in earlier years, that of travel safety.  First we follow the stats on the safest transport mode and then present a world emergency number map.

Part I – Safest Seat on a Train, Plane and Ship

The safest seat on a:

Railroad Passenger Train:  Is any one outside of the train.  Seriously, a car or two ahead of the rear car.  According to the U.S. government’s transportation accident review authority, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a  majority  of passenger rail mishaps damage the front cars; secondly, the middle in derailment situations; with the least damage occurring to the near to end cars.  Of course, in the case of a front to rear collision between two trains, the first train will suffer rear car damage, obviously, the first car(s) of the second train will suffer the most damage but these are the rarest collision types.  Final tip: choose a rear facing seat (in the direction of travel).  In a crash, you won’t be thrown forward.

Airplane:  A recently published Popular Mechanics study concludes that, in an airplane crash, 69% of rear cabin passengers are more likely to survive than those in the front rows (generally the first and business classes or in all-coach flights, the first 15 rows).  In the same situation, over the wing seat passengers experience a 59% survival rate, which then drops dramatically to 49% for those in the aforementioned front rows.

The safest cabin on a:

Cruise Ship:  From the Cruise Critic, mid to upper cabin, facing outward, in the ship’s aft (rear) section.  Cruise line accidents, while extremely rare, tend to damage the hull (usually in the  front part) first, thereby exposing the lower and inner cabins to immediate flooding as well as by positioning alone, these cabins have more restricted avenues of escape.  Overall, we recommend staying away from any cruises along the Somalian coast, regardless of cabin choice.

Enjoy your vacation.  According to Rebirth of Reason, staying at home is not an option.

The most recent statistics from the National Safety Council show that death by falling from a bed, chair or other furniture is almost as likely as death by air transport.  As of 2008, your odds of dying from an in-home fall are about 1 in 379,000 while your risk in an airliner is about 1 in 484,000.  If you ever stand on a chair, you are somewhat safer in an airliner than you are in your own home. 

Part II – Global emergency phone numbers

BNI Operatives: Street smart: web savvy.

As always, stay safe.

Filed under: 911, General Information, Safety Tagged: | cabin, cruise, emegency numbers, global, NHTSB, NTSB, plane, popular mechanis, safest seat, ship, train, worldwide