very well put sir. my thoughts exactly.

finally. something that isn't soft or rude. props to you.

+5 Internets, my good man.

bitch Imma cut u..

you told him!

Wtf, really? Did saying that make you feel any better?

I am a terrible person for laughing at this, almost hate myself. You're a jackass.

you said it bro.

I agree bro, even though your grammar sux. lol.

23 it's more for turbulence and hitting air pockets (where the plane drops fast) so everyone doesn't smack their heads on the roof etc

Yes, we are heathens, aren't we? More like stupid heathens. Americans are just too set in their ways to "handle" such a change, even if it's easier! :-)

I just threw up a little in my mouth from looking at 69's picture

They're used for accident investigations. It's easier to figure out who's who if the bodies are still strapped into their assigned seats. Seriously though, turbulence and the vast majority of accidents happening at slower speeds is the reason. Nothing is going to save you if your plane spears into the ground like a ******* dart, but in most accidents it makes a massive difference. You could add another huge survivability factor by mandating shoulder harnesses, but airline passengers are such whiners about stuff like that, plus they're expensive to fit.

The brace position is designed to reduce the injury from headstrike. It's the reason you grab your knees if you're in a row without a seat in front of you - your head is going there anyway in an accident, and if you put it there first, it reduces the inertia, decreasing the injury. Injury from flying debris isn't taken into account when certifying passenger seat restraints (although it is with stowage of heavy objects in the cabin). The main reason for not putting inertia reel shoulder harnesses in heavy jets is that there's nowhere to attach them. In light aircraft it's been mandatory since 1986 (from memory) to have shoulder harnesses fitted to all the seats in light aircraft, but it's impractical for airliners. The current standard high-g seats shouldn't break free in an accident, but there comes a point at which the aircraft sustains so much damage, that's irrelevant. There are some seats in light planes or corporate jets where the inertia reel is integrated into the seat itself, but that's not a great design and adds dramatically to seat weight and bulk. The most recent advance in passenger restraints is the introduction of lap-belts with an inbuilt airbag. They're a pain in the ass to maintain, but they do reduce injuries in an accident.

I respected #53's comment until he called OP a lard-arse. WTF dude.

don't stop at the ass. he should put his whole body on a diet