Safety and the Citizen

MORE than ten years ago we published a report based on studies carried out by the Air Transport Command Traffic Division of the United States Air Force into the possibility of adopting the backward‐facing type of passenger seat. This investigation took the form of a questionnaire which military passengers, who had flown in an aircraft fitted with rear‐facing seats, were asked to complete. The results of this enquiry overwhelmingly indicated that passengers were prepared to accept any minor discomforts (if indeed they even existed) associated with the rear‐facing type, once they were aware that this form of seating offered a much higher chance of survival in the event of a crash‐landing. The U.S.A.F. and the R.A.F. have both adopted rear‐facing seats for their transport aircraft but the airlines of the world still persist in the use of forward‐facing seats although they must render the passenger more liable to injury.