The safest seats on the plane: where experts advise to sit

If you are afraid of flying on an airplane, worried about your safety, or just nervous about every flight, you have probably thought about which seats on the plane are the safest in case of an accident. And if we look at the statistics based on past airplane crashes, there is an answer.

Travel + Leisure talked to aviation experts to find out which seat increases the chance of survival in the event of an emergency.

According to a 2015 TIME analysis of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data, seats in the rear of an airplane had a fatality rate of 32%, while seats in the middle third had a 39% fatality rate and seats in the front had a 38% fatality rate.

The seats in the middle of the rear of the airplane are statistically the safest, with only a 28% fatality rate. By comparison, the aisle seats in the middle of the cabin had a fatality rate of 44%.

"There's actually a safer place to sit on an airplane, and that's in the back of the plane," summarized Dan Babb, a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Keep in mind that these are just general odds based on previous airplane crashes - and there have been exceptions. For example, when United Airlines Flight 232 crashed in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1989, most of the 184 survivors were seated in the middle third of the plane. In the 1977 Tenerife disaster, the largest aviation disaster that killed 583 people, 61 survivors were seated mostly in the front of the plane.

Ultimately, it all depends on the circumstances of the potential incident, so picking a place to survive an accident may not be the best idea. Of course, you can get lucky, and airplanes are generally a very safe mode of transportation. In addition, sitting in the back of an airplane is not always comfortable.

"Data shows that although the safest seats are in the back of the plane, they are also the most uncomfortable during turbulence. It occurs much more often and should be avoided by those who are afraid of flying," advises David Rimmer, CEO of AB Aviation Group. "Instead, the expert suggests that you choose 'less secure' seats approximately in the middle of the plane."

If safety is really your first priority, it would be wiser to choose seats near the exit.