The seat belt sign is one of the more important safety notices on board an aircraft. You need to wear it during take off and landing, which are statistically the most dangerous parts of the flight.
Crews also advise you to always wear it while seated in case of unexpected turbulence. There have been instances where people have been injured when not wearing their seat belts. Despite this, I have noticed a trend of people ignoring the seat belt sign.
Ignoring The Seat Belt Sign
When flying around the United States, I have noticed the pilots are particularly trigger happy when it comes to switching on the seat belt sign during the cruise. The slightest hint of turbulence gets that sign turned on and fast.
My suspicion is this is due to the litigious culture in the USA. Turning the signs on fast means that if anyone is injured, the airline won’t be at fault because that sign was on.
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- Aer Lingus in Ireland have this notice on the back of the tray tables
People are increasingly ignoring the seat belt sign, usually once the cabin crew are up out of their seats. If a pilot leaves the sign on and the crew are bustling about, people who need the toilet just get up and go. No-one stops them.
I’ve seen this happen on many airlines around the world. At most, the cabin crew will point out that the seat belt sign is on and ask the person to make it quick or to be careful. Stupid people who get up during final approach or while climbing are rightly told to sit back down.
Overall Thoughts
Most adults are perfectly capable of doing a risk assessment when it comes to the seat belt sign. When the cabin crew are walking around, it is probably okay to head off to the toilet if you’re desperately needing to, even if the sign is on.
If the cabin crew have been told to sit down or are sitting down, your best bet is to stay put. It would be interesting to know what flying conditions mandate the sign being on, because it seems to vary from pilot to pilot. My guess is that it’s a judgement call.
Considering it is recommended, I tend to keep myself strapped in for the whole flight, albeit loosely. What do you think of this? Are pilots too quick to switch the sign on? Should people follow it or use their own judgement? Thanks for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image by Gus Ruballo via Unsplash.
Fasted Seat Belt While Seated by Cathal Mac an Bheatha via Unsplash.
Though they can usually tell when there’s chop ahead, turbulence can hit at any time. If you’re in your seat, what’s the harm in buckling up for safety?
Oh, there’s no harm in that and I always wear my seat belt the whole thing. Thing is. a lot of pilots leave the sign on forever when it continues to be smooth or just the tiniest bit of turbulence. It differs from airline to airline and region to region too. Thanks for the comment!
I think the problem is the pilots sometimes forget to turn the sign off when they get to smooth air. If you need to go to the bathroom, that can be toruture if you are trying to obey the sign.
I agree with you there, it certainly does seem like that. I know at least one or two occasions where passengers have asked the cabin crew to ask the pilot to turn the sign off and it’s gone off immediately, so they do sometimes forget. It’s why I always try to hit the facilities before I board or once I get on – just in case. Thanks for the comment!