DEAF, BLIND AND DUMB

Posted on 01/04/2016

Airlines repeatedly tell passengers to wear their seatbelts throughout the flight. They reiterate that quite clearly when expecting turbulence. Yet, for reasons of their own, flyers frequently ignore the warnings and leave themselves unbelted and at risk. Unforgivably, they also do not ensure their children buckle up.

So, the Transportation Safety Board is reminding air passengers to wear their seatbelts, after 21 people were injured by turbulence on an Air Canada flight from Shanghai that was diverted to Calgary. The board is investigating Wednesday's mishap that sent three children and 18 adults to hospitals with injuries ranging from minor sprains to serious chest and neck trauma. The report notes that some passengers were not buckled up despite being briefed to wear their seatbelts, and that the seatbelt sign was on at the time.

Airline safety expert John Pottinger said people should always wear a seatbelt, just like they would in a car. He said many passengers are lulled into a feeling of safety by an industry that doesn't want to scare people, as well as an aircraft that isolates the senses. “You're travelling at a speed that our mind is not absorbing,” said Pottinger. “Because in this tube it all feels so nice and calm and we even get up and walk around. But we're still doing 450, 500 miles an hour.”

Transport Canada issued a statement Thursday clarifying the rules around seatbelt use on planes. “The Canadian Aviation Regulations require passengers to wear their seatbelts during taxi, takeoff, landing, when the seat belt sign is on and whenever directed to do so by crew members,” the department said in an email. “It is recommended that passengers keep their seat belts fastened during the entire flight.”

Can you read the signs? In other preventable accidents, two foreign tourists, from China and Australia, died Saturday in separate swimming accidents at the southern Thai resort island of Koh Samui. Police Lt. Col. Apichart Jansamret said the two died while swimming off Chaweng beach during high tide. Two other people were injured.

He said there were “no swimming” signs and red flags in place to warn tourists about the dangers of swimming there. Apichart said that the sea at the beach looks misleadingly calm as a pond, but that it is easy to fall into deep water. “The tourists must have thought they could manage it and that it's similar to their country, but that's the problem,” he said. Samui is a popular destination for foreign tourists in Thailand, which last year hosted a record-high 29 million visitors.

So, please, remind your clients - and remember yourself - signs and warnings are posted for a reason.