Be Not Afraid

Your Plane Is in Trouble

Why It Won't Happen: You've heard it before, and it's still true: You're safer when you board an airplane than when you get behind the wheel of a car. The chance that you'll be killed in a crash in any given year is only about one in 11 million for planes; one in 5,000 for automobiles. And according to the Aircraft Crashes Record Office, the number of plane accidents in 2006 was the lowest in 53 years.

But If It Does: Take the usual precautions—tighten your seat belt and follow the instructions of the flight attendant, says Todd Curtis, PhD, founder of AirSafe.com. Asked if there's a section of the plane where your odds of survival are greater, Curtis responds: "Tell me the kind of plane you're in and the kind of accident you're going to have, and I'll tell you where to sit." But, Curtis adds, the middle seating area near the wing is the strongest and most structurally stable part of most aircraft. And at the very least, you'll feel less turbulence when you sit there.

This article—and over 100 more empowering pieces—appears in O's Big Book of Happiness.