The safest seat of them all

PRIOR to the recent Air India plane crash — where the only survivor happened to be in seat 11A — did it ever cross your mind how safe (or unsafe) your seat is when you travel by bus, train or plane?

Many people, when faced with such thoughts, simply surrender to fate, shrugging it off with the belief that “what is meant to happen will happen,” placing everything in the hands of destiny or God. Then there are those who believe that while some things may be out of your control, others depend on your decisions.

I believe that success and survival are mostly driven by effort and awareness — 90 per cent diligence, 10 per cent fate. And this belief led to an unexpected but insightful analysis during a journey.

I was travelling on a roadways bus from Chandigarh to Delhi. The driver was overtaking every vehicle he could, swerving left and right at breakneck speed. His rash driving heightened the tension among passengers, and my mind began to race with thoughts about safety.

What if we had a head-on collision with another vehicle? The front three rows were likely to bear the brunt. So, should I move to the back, I asked myself.

But then another thought struck me — what if a speeding vehicle rammed into our bus from the rear? In that case, the last two rows wouldn’t stand a chance. So, where should one sit to stay safe?

Logic told me that the middle of the bus offered a buffer from both front and rear impacts. But then another scenario popped up — what if the bus veered off the road and plunged into a canal? Sitting in the middle could mean being trapped, far from either exit. But then I reassured myself — such accidents are rare, and thankfully, most buses in India have windows without grills, which can be broken in an emergency.

Then I considered lateral impacts — like a vehicle crashing into the bus at a right angle at an intersection. That would make window seats vulnerable. Aisle seats, particularly those in the middle of the bus, seemed safer.

But which side — left or right? Since we have right-hand drive in India, collisions are more likely to occur on the driver’s (right) side. That made the left aisle seat — centrally located — the safest option.

Interestingly, that’s exactly where I was already seated, purely by chance. This seat offered another bonus — less disturbance. Passengers usually take the shortest path to the front or rear exit, so only the one seated beside me would occasionally need to pass.

This analysis, sparked by an impatient driver, gave me clarity on something I’d never seriously considered before. Such details can make a difference in extreme situations.

Next time you travel by bus, train or plane, you might want to take a moment to choose your seat more thoughtfully. Sometimes, safety is not just about the journey but also about your seat.

Musings