Get The Safest Seat On These 7 Modes Of Transport

Dec 29, 2017

Whether it's for leisure, business, or day-to-day life, most of us will use multiple modes of transportation throughout life. What comes to mind when you think about choosing a mode of transport? Some may prioritize comfort over cost or cleanliness over environmental impact. But, most people do have one universal priority - safety. 

With the daily news of some type of plane, train, auto, bus, or ship accident, many travelers want to know what's the safest transportation to chose and which seat to call dibs on when they aren't in the driver's seat. 

Decisions, Decisions ... What's The Safest Transportation? 

Professor Ian Savage of Northwestern University's Department of Economics analyzed data concerning US transportation deaths between 2000 and 2009 to come up a list of the safest and most deadliest modes of transport. 

Aside from motorcycle deaths, which accounted for an eye-popping 200 deaths per billion miles traveled, cars were the most dangerous mode of transport with a little over seven deaths per billion miles traveled. How'd other modes rank?

• Ferry - 3.17
• Rail -0.43
• Transit Rail - 0.24
• Bus - 0.11
• Plane - 0.07

Yet More Decisions... Where To Sit? 

A natural question is whether or not where you sit on a given mode of transportation makes a safety difference. The answer is a resounding yes. Countless studies have shown that seat choice makes a huge difference in risk of injury and fatality during transportation accidents. 

The problem is that 'experts' often disagree on which seats are safest, why, and how. Generally, this disagreement is chalked up to circumstance, such as how the transportation was impacted, overall existing health of victims, and cargo. Circumstance leaves a tremendous amount of data to factor and analyze. 

However, there are some generally accepted facts on seat safety amongst the most common modes of transport. Let's look: 
 

1. Cars 

The safest seat is in the middle of the back seat row. The next safest is on the driver-side back seat row. The most dangerous seat in the car is the passenger seat. 

The danger seat is due to statistics showing that the most common car crash is a head-on collision. As the driver attempts to swerve and avoid a crash, the impact often ends up happening on the passenger's side of the vehicle. The rear row is safest on multiple fronts: 

• The front has a large windshield and hard dash for front passengers to hit vs the softer seat backs of the front row for rear passengers to hit. 
• The center of the rear row avoids the dash, windshield, and direct side impact. 
• The rear suspension is the sturdiest part of a typical car and provides protection against front-to-rear and rear-to-front crushing injuries. 

2. Minibus 

These vehicles can be up to 26.3 feet long and have a capacity up to 30 seats. It's what you've likely seen being used by nursing homes, charities, and churches for transportation needs. The safest seats include: 

• Those located against the direction the minibus is traveling. 
•  The opposite side of the driver.
• Rows behind the front row. 
• Inner seats that are away from doors and windows. 

3. Trolley Buses 

Around 300 trolley lines exist across the world, eight of which are in America. They're electric busses that are powered by overhead wires. By relying on a track, trolleys can be maneuvered off the wire path to avoid collision, making them a bit safer than trams that can only change speeds to avoid obstacles. Safest seats: 

• Opposite side from oncoming traffic. 
• Aisle seats away from windows and doors. 
• Mid-cabin seats. 
• Seats with the back in the opposite direction of travel. 

4. Transit Buses And Coaches 

Transit buses encompass city, school, stage, public, and commuter buses. Unlike coaches, transit buses are configured for short-distance operation and have limited storage capacity. The safest seats for transit and coaches: 

• Middle rows that are furtherest from the compact back end, large back window, large front window, and glass doors. 
• Inner rows away from side windows. 
• Rows located in the direction of travel. 

5. Trains 

Behind planes, trains are considered the safest mode of travel in terms of risk. Derailment and impact with road vehicles are the two greatest risks of accident. The first and last carriages are the most likely to derail or deform during impact. Passenger injury is often from falls during emergency breaking. Safest seats: 

• The middle carriage, which is usually around the fifth carriage. 
• Inner, mid-cabin seats away from windows. 
• Seats facing the direction of travel. 

6. Ships 

Ship seating safety is by far the most difficult for experts to analyze. The risk of falls and head injury are universal when a ship impacts anything at sea or makes a sudden turn or stop. This is because seats across the ship's many surfaces and levels are not affixed as they are in other transportation modes. Most proactive safety measurements come from your location as it relates to flooding risks: 

• Upper level cabins with nearest and most direct access to the the top deck are safest in the event the vessel takes on water. 
• Deck seating on upper levels of the vessel is taking on water. 

7. Planes 

Planes top the list of safest mode of transportation, although some researchers make sure to point out that it's also the least utilized form of transportation per volume of miles clocked by travelers. Nonetheless, FAA and airline safety experts hold firm that there is no such thing as the safest seat on a commercial airplane. 

Time magazine published an interesting study of airplane crashes over the past 35 years. Key findings: 

• 32% fatality rate for seats in the back third of a plane. 
• 39% fatality rate for seats in the middle third of a plane. 
• 38% fatality rate for seats in the front third of a plane. 
• 28% fatality rate for middle seats in the rear. 
• 44% fatality rate for aisle seats in the middle third of the cabin. 
• Those closest to an exit were the most likely to survive following a crash. 

In closing, while seat choice may improve your odds against fatality and injury once a transportation accident happens, the most protective choice any passenger can make is to follow the applicable safety rules and behaviors for their mode of transport.

Thank you for reading! 

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