How to survive a plane emergency - pay attention to the safety briefing

On 31 October, 224 people lost their lives when a Russian charter flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg crashed. Like high-profile aviation disasters last year involving Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia, disaster struck at altitude. The tragic sequence may create the impression that an inflight emergency is invariable fatal and therefore paying attention to the safety briefing is a waste of time.

In fact, most aircraft emergencies are survivable, like the engine fire on BA Flight 2276 as the Boeing 777 was taking off at Las Vegas in September 2015. But the probability that you and others will escape unscathed is affected by how you respond when an emergency is declared.

To maximise your chances, pay attention when the cabin crew brief you on safety procedures.

Check the location of the nearest exit both ahead of you and behind you. Read the safety card to remind yourself of the “brace position”.

One urban myth insists that cradling your head in your arms with your torso braced against the seat in front is to preserve your teeth so you can be identified from dental records. This is tosh: the brace position extracts maximum benefit from the cabin’s internal structure.

A self-help measure that could help you and others: board a flight sober, and stay that way. In the event of an emergency, everyone needs to be in full possession of their senses so they can follow the crew’s instructions and move as nimbly as possible.

While it is understandable for passengers to want to take cabin baggage with them in an emergency – don’t. It will slow you down, add to congestion at the exits and could damage the slides. Have faith in the cabin crew’s training, which is their main professional focus, and obey their very loud and very clear instructions.