The brace position is one of the most important things to remember when watching the safety demonstration on a plane.
In the case of an emergency, passengers are required to place their feet flat on the floor whilst bending forward with their hands clasped behind their head.
This is widely believed to be the best way to survive a plane crash but could it really be doing something else?
Conspiracists believe it is for a much darker reason.
Some of the conspiracies behind the brace position are that it is actually so that passengers die more quickly.
According to The Odyssey Online, they believe that the “head will smash into the seat in front of you and instantly break your neck”.
Even more gruesome, is it is so the teeth remain in place so bodies can be identified.
Myth busters calculated that it could cost up to $ 40 million less for passenger deaths than passenger rehabilitation for life, therefore many believe it is the airline’s way of making sure they pay out less.
Whilst it is certainly one theory, it has been debunked by many experts in the field.
The Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) claim that the position is to “reduce flailing” and “secondary impact”.
Myth busters conducted a plane crash simulation and found that a braced body absorbed much less of the impact due to the seat in front taking a lot of it.
They also revealed that the FAA state that it is three times safer to brace than stay upright.
A real-life example of this is stated by the Australian Civil Aviation Authority when a plane crashed with 16 passengers.
Only one was awake to adopt the brace position and was the only survivor.
Adam Ewart, CEO of Send My Bag confirmed that as safety methods improve, so does the airline safety.
He told Express.co.uk: “The brace position is designed to help avoid injuries during minor incidents and flyers put their trust in the aviation engineers.
“With 2017 being the safest year for air travel, is a true testament to their expertise and to the advancements which continue to be made.”
