Travel Tips Why You Should Always Wear Your Seat Belt on a Plane — Even If the Sign Is Off Crashes aren't the only reasons people get injured on a plane. By Andrea Romano Andrea Romano Andrea Romano is a writer and editor in New York City. For the last eight years, she has been a lifestyle journalist for Mashable, Brit+Co, Reviewed, Bustle, and Travel + Leisure. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 28, 2023 Seat belts save lives, both when riding in a car and on a plane. Statistics show that seat belts are instrumental in keeping commuters safe. And with all the driving we do, most don't think twice about buckling up before taking off in a vehicle. So, why the doesn't the same logic apply to air travel? In a 2007 survey of 1,548 plane passengers, 7% said they "rarely" or "never" stay buckled in when the seat belt sign is off. And while many years have passed since the results were published, the clicking of belts that erupts through the cabin as soon as the ding indicates it's safe to get up means flyer behavior hasn't changed much. Here's why the safest move is to stay seated and buckled in on an airplane. 8 Worst Flying Mistakes and How to Avoid Them, According to Flight Attendants How Airplane Seat Belts Work You’ve probably noticed that seat belts in airplanes aren’t quite as comprehensive as the ones in cars. Rest assured, though, there's a good reason for the different design. Planes have what's called “lift lever” belts, which — as the name suggests — unfasten when you lift the lever instead of push a button, as you normally would in a car. Lift lever belts were used before airplanes even existed, but they became common in airplanes by the 1940s. The lift lever belt remains the most common because it's cost-effective and lightweight. Moreover, while pilots and crew might also wear shoulder straps, passengers usually get only a lap belt. Unlike with a car, where the biggest risk lies in the back-and-forth motion, the risk on a plane is the up-down. Lap belts work to keep you on your seat in turbulence. The simplistic design of the lift lever lap belt means passengers can buckle up quickly and easily when needed. Myths About Plane Seat Belts One of the biggest reasons why people don’t wear seat belts on planes — besides that they're generally uncomfortable — is because they’re deemed ineffective in the event of a crash. While this may be true for a catastrophic event, small accidents such as planes colliding with each other while taxiing on the runway can also lead to injury for non-seatbelt wearers. Another myth is that plane seat belts are used to keep people in their seats so their bodies can be identified after a fatal accident, which is largely disputed. Anyway, people switch seats on planes all the time, and some airlines — Southwest, for example — don't even assign seats, making this idea completely moot. Some avoid wearing seat belts on a plane because they believe the belts could hinder an evacuation. If there’s a fire in the cabin, you’d want to get out as quickly as possible, right? Again, industry experts have discredited this idea, citing the ease of the lever mechanism as a means of quick evacuation. 10 Things You're Doing That Annoy Flight Attendants Buckling Up for Turbulence Margot Cavin/Travel + Leisure According to the National Center for Atmospheric Research, pilots report 65,000 encounters with moderate turbulence and 5,500 encounters with severe turbulence in the U.S. per year. Considering the number of planes that crash per year in the U.S. (little more than 1,000) and the (far-lower) number of fires that break out, it's safe to say turbulence poses the greatest threat of physical injury on a plane. Turbulence occurs when the plane experiences a sudden shift in airflow, be it from mountains, jet streams, or storms. Pilots use tools like weather radars and meteorology maps to see thunderstorms and dangerous winds along the flight path, and they'll turn on the seat belt sign in those situations. Sometimes, though, turbulence can occur out of the blue. This is called clear-air turbulence, and it can happen even in cloudless conditions. It's normal for the plane to drop a bit during an encounter with turbulence, and this can lift passengers out of their seats if they aren't belted in. In the worst cases, turbulence has been known to “throw” people full force into the ceiling of the plane, which can cause concussions, broken bones, or possibly even more serious injuries. When the seat belt sign is on, passengers should avoid calling for an attendant for safety reasons.