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I recently flew ANA and they advise all passengers to keep their seatbelts on at all times when seated. It seems like simple advice. I do the same thing when I'

I recently flew ANA and they advise all passengers to keep their seatbelts on at all times when seated. It seems like simple advice. I do the same thing when I'm driving. I don't find it uncomfortable in the slightest, even sleeping. Maybe others have a different experience, but turbulence isn't that rare. I've had serious turbulence on many flights. Probably the worst was final approach / landing in Frankfurt with perfectly blue skies. The atmosphere does weird things.

dude187 2y ago
I find sleeping on a plane more comfortable with a seat belt on actually. I hook my thumbs into it and it gives me more support for my hands and arms. Might not be great for my thumbs in that kind of situation though...
Arn_Thor 2y ago
I’ve flown internationally for a decade and it was only around 2018-20 I noticed most airlines reminding you to keep your seat belt fastened. Before that it seemed like the exception, not the rule.
arnon 2y ago
Every single airline says this for the last 15 years at least. On some routes you see lots of loose seatbelts (Middle East, Africa). On European flights, everyone has the seatbelt on for the entire flight.
- vsnf 2y ago
  This behavior is reflected in car attitudes too. Many Japanese drive with a detached seatbelt. Not even the presence of children changes this calculus.
  - banish-m4 2y ago
    Wat? That seems out of character. Class related?
    - RestlessMind 2y ago
      Actually that seems very Japanese in a weird way - they might be trusting themselves and everyone else to follow rules precisely, thus avoiding all the accidents and obviating the need for seatbelts.
      - pfannkuchen 2y ago
        Is driving actually kind of easy in Japan for this reason? I’ve never had a car while there. It’s wild how different Japan and China are despite being neighbors. I can’t think of a European neighbor pair that is so different.
        RestlessMind 2y ago
        When I visited, Austria-Hungary were very different. So were Germany-Poland. And let's not even talk about Finland-Russia. I mean, Europe had an iron curtain for decades and that shows at the boundaries.
        et-al 2y ago
        One is an island nation that's been fairly open, the other had waves of isolationism, famines, and only recently opened up their markets in the late 80s. Private car ownership was not on the table until probably 25 years ago. But to play your game, Switzerland and Italy, especially southern Italy, are very different.
        mayd 2y ago
        Your counterexample is not even close to being accurate. Italy and Switzerland have much more in common than China and Japan. Italian is even one of the official languages of Switzerland. Switzerland and Italy are both essentially federations of distinct provinces. Both are recognizably Western European. China and Japan are worlds apart, as are China and India.
        et-al 2y ago
  - yurishimo 2y ago
    Most Dutch people don’t wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. As e-bikes are becoming more popular, some older people are opting to wear a helmet since the speed is higher, but many still don’t. It’s not uncommon to see a parent riding around with a kid attached to the bike and neither are wearing a helmet. I think it is kind of a cultural thing as well as convenience. If you ride a bike to the station to catch a train, then you might need storage or to carry it with you.
    - 0x5f3759df-i 2y ago
      This really isn’t a similar comparison, Dutch infrastructure is built to prioritize making cycling safe at every decision point. Whereas you’d be someone with a death wish to be riding without a helmet in most places in the US.
    - wkat4242 2y ago
      Also it's just not really a big danger. There's no epidemic of brain injury due to this. Part of the reason is that because bike usage is so common and the infrastructure is very separate (bike lanes everywhere, no mixed traffic on eg roundabouts), and bikes almost always have right of way and are not to blame in an accident, that drivers are very aware of them. I noticed in countries like Ireland with much less bikes that bike lanes sometimes just end in the middle of a high speed roundabout. And most drivers there have no clue which is in part because until 10 years ago you could just buy a driver's license at the post office. It was a "learner's permit" but it was normal practice to just go and drive. So yeah in Ireland I wouldn't even ride a bike with a helmet. In Holland I'm much safer even without one.
      - throwaway2037 2y ago
        I don't remember the "Not Just Bikes" YouTube video, but he specifically discusses the relatively low rates of bicycle helmet wearing, especially amoungst urban riders. I agree with you: When there are serious bike injuries, it is usually due to a car or truck in mixed space. When only bikes riding less than 25km/h, the injuries are pretty minor.
    - 2y ago
  - Der_Einzige 2y ago
    This is an asia thing, not a Japan thing. Saw this in most of South East Asia.
- ghaff 2y ago
  Loose seatbelts are probably fine. That’s what I do. Presumably that keeps me from getting launched into the ceiling. A lap belt is a compromise anyway. Aircraft crew use more as do car drivers for that matter.
  - scoofy 2y ago
    Right but what's the point? If the belt is on very loose, you give your body a chance to gain momentum, which will be redirected when the seat belt catches you, which would lead to serious injury. The belt doesn't need to be on tight, but it should be relatively snug. It's just one of those things that is trivial to do, with a very, very low probability to save you from injury, but costs nothing, so why not...
    - rkangel 2y ago
      I'd rather redirect my momentum into soft webbing spread across my lap, than into my head impacting an overhead bin.
    - Andrews54757 2y ago
      You won't gain additional momentum from a loose belt. But a loose belt may give your body the chance to slip out. The impulse you feel from a tight belt will be no less than the impulse you feel from a loose one.
      - hollerith 2y ago
        >The impulse you feel from a tight belt will be no less than the impulse you feel from a loose one. I don't see any interpretation of that that makes it true.
        alan-hn 2y ago
        Impulse is constant, its the force that is transferred to your body. This is constant whether or not a belt is worn. A belt simply takes that force and redistributes it into the seat frame, if the belt is not worn the force is not redistributed by the belt but rather by your head into the overhead bin
iLoveOncall 2y ago
I've never been on any airplane where they didn't say you have to keep your seatbelt fastened at all times when seated.
- Intermernet 2y ago
  I've been flying for a long time. It's only in the last decade that I've noticed the specific language of "keep your seatbelt fastened even if the light turns off". It's always been a "soft" suggestion, but it's becoming stronger, and repeated. The ANA flight crew in particular were quite adamant about it. This may just be me becoming more aware of it, but, if so, I'm also becoming more aware of more passengers actually heeding the advice. I remember, not that long ago, most people removing their seatbelts as soon as the light went out. Not so common now.
  - ryandrake 2y ago
    > It's only in the last decade that I've noticed the specific language of "keep your seatbelt fastened even if the light turns off". It makes you wonder why they ever even turn off the seatbelt light. Just keep it on the whole time, just like the equally anachronistic no-smoking light. I feel like the light is just there to mollify the older generations who didn't grow up with mandatory seat belts wearing in cars, fought those laws loudly, and are still bitter that the government makes them take a sensible safety precaution. Are there enough of those people still flying that it makes sense to keep that light in use?
    - pintxo 2y ago
      The seatbelt light nowadays is mostly a don’t move around sign.
      - lxgr 2y ago
        During take-off and landing, it is. At cruise altitude, it really does mean "the pilots are expecting turbulence and suggest you stay seated", at least in my experience. Of course they don't always get it right both ways: Sometimes reports of turbulence ahead turn out to be false positives, and at other times, strong turbulence can happen without any warning.
Affric 2y ago
Yep. Always have my seatbelt on. I am used to it.

dude187 2y ago

I find sleeping on a plane more comfortable with a seat belt on actually. I hook my thumbs into it and it gives me more support for my hands and arms. Might not be great for my thumbs in that kind of situation though...

Arn_Thor 2y ago

I’ve flown internationally for a decade and it was only around 2018-20 I noticed most airlines reminding you to keep your seat belt fastened. Before that it seemed like the exception, not the rule.

arnon 2y ago

Every single airline says this for the last 15 years at least. On some routes you see lots of loose seatbelts (Middle East, Africa). On European flights, everyone has the seatbelt on for the entire flight.

vsnf 2y ago
This behavior is reflected in car attitudes too. Many Japanese drive with a detached seatbelt. Not even the presence of children changes this calculus.
- banish-m4 2y ago
  Wat? That seems out of character. Class related?
  - RestlessMind 2y ago
    Actually that seems very Japanese in a weird way - they might be trusting themselves and everyone else to follow rules precisely, thus avoiding all the accidents and obviating the need for seatbelts.
    - pfannkuchen 2y ago
      Is driving actually kind of easy in Japan for this reason? I’ve never had a car while there. It’s wild how different Japan and China are despite being neighbors. I can’t think of a European neighbor pair that is so different.
      - RestlessMind 2y ago
        When I visited, Austria-Hungary were very different. So were Germany-Poland. And let's not even talk about Finland-Russia. I mean, Europe had an iron curtain for decades and that shows at the boundaries.
      - et-al 2y ago
        One is an island nation that's been fairly open, the other had waves of isolationism, famines, and only recently opened up their markets in the late 80s. Private car ownership was not on the table until probably 25 years ago. But to play your game, Switzerland and Italy, especially southern Italy, are very different.
        mayd 2y ago
        Your counterexample is not even close to being accurate. Italy and Switzerland have much more in common than China and Japan. Italian is even one of the official languages of Switzerland. Switzerland and Italy are both essentially federations of distinct provinces. Both are recognizably Western European. China and Japan are worlds apart, as are China and India.
        et-al 2y ago
- yurishimo 2y ago
  Most Dutch people don’t wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. As e-bikes are becoming more popular, some older people are opting to wear a helmet since the speed is higher, but many still don’t. It’s not uncommon to see a parent riding around with a kid attached to the bike and neither are wearing a helmet. I think it is kind of a cultural thing as well as convenience. If you ride a bike to the station to catch a train, then you might need storage or to carry it with you.
  - 0x5f3759df-i 2y ago
    This really isn’t a similar comparison, Dutch infrastructure is built to prioritize making cycling safe at every decision point. Whereas you’d be someone with a death wish to be riding without a helmet in most places in the US.
  - wkat4242 2y ago
    Also it's just not really a big danger. There's no epidemic of brain injury due to this. Part of the reason is that because bike usage is so common and the infrastructure is very separate (bike lanes everywhere, no mixed traffic on eg roundabouts), and bikes almost always have right of way and are not to blame in an accident, that drivers are very aware of them. I noticed in countries like Ireland with much less bikes that bike lanes sometimes just end in the middle of a high speed roundabout. And most drivers there have no clue which is in part because until 10 years ago you could just buy a driver's license at the post office. It was a "learner's permit" but it was normal practice to just go and drive. So yeah in Ireland I wouldn't even ride a bike with a helmet. In Holland I'm much safer even without one.
    - throwaway2037 2y ago
      I don't remember the "Not Just Bikes" YouTube video, but he specifically discusses the relatively low rates of bicycle helmet wearing, especially amoungst urban riders. I agree with you: When there are serious bike injuries, it is usually due to a car or truck in mixed space. When only bikes riding less than 25km/h, the injuries are pretty minor.
  - 2y ago
- Der_Einzige 2y ago
  This is an asia thing, not a Japan thing. Saw this in most of South East Asia.
ghaff 2y ago
Loose seatbelts are probably fine. That’s what I do. Presumably that keeps me from getting launched into the ceiling. A lap belt is a compromise anyway. Aircraft crew use more as do car drivers for that matter.
- scoofy 2y ago
  Right but what's the point? If the belt is on very loose, you give your body a chance to gain momentum, which will be redirected when the seat belt catches you, which would lead to serious injury. The belt doesn't need to be on tight, but it should be relatively snug. It's just one of those things that is trivial to do, with a very, very low probability to save you from injury, but costs nothing, so why not...
  - rkangel 2y ago
    I'd rather redirect my momentum into soft webbing spread across my lap, than into my head impacting an overhead bin.
  - Andrews54757 2y ago
    You won't gain additional momentum from a loose belt. But a loose belt may give your body the chance to slip out. The impulse you feel from a tight belt will be no less than the impulse you feel from a loose one.
    - hollerith 2y ago
      >The impulse you feel from a tight belt will be no less than the impulse you feel from a loose one. I don't see any interpretation of that that makes it true.
      - alan-hn 2y ago
        Impulse is constant, its the force that is transferred to your body. This is constant whether or not a belt is worn. A belt simply takes that force and redistributes it into the seat frame, if the belt is not worn the force is not redistributed by the belt but rather by your head into the overhead bin

iLoveOncall 2y ago

I've never been on any airplane where they didn't say you have to keep your seatbelt fastened at all times when seated.

Intermernet 2y ago
I've been flying for a long time. It's only in the last decade that I've noticed the specific language of "keep your seatbelt fastened even if the light turns off". It's always been a "soft" suggestion, but it's becoming stronger, and repeated. The ANA flight crew in particular were quite adamant about it. This may just be me becoming more aware of it, but, if so, I'm also becoming more aware of more passengers actually heeding the advice. I remember, not that long ago, most people removing their seatbelts as soon as the light went out. Not so common now.
- ryandrake 2y ago
  > It's only in the last decade that I've noticed the specific language of "keep your seatbelt fastened even if the light turns off". It makes you wonder why they ever even turn off the seatbelt light. Just keep it on the whole time, just like the equally anachronistic no-smoking light. I feel like the light is just there to mollify the older generations who didn't grow up with mandatory seat belts wearing in cars, fought those laws loudly, and are still bitter that the government makes them take a sensible safety precaution. Are there enough of those people still flying that it makes sense to keep that light in use?
  - pintxo 2y ago
    The seatbelt light nowadays is mostly a don’t move around sign.
    - lxgr 2y ago
      During take-off and landing, it is. At cruise altitude, it really does mean "the pilots are expecting turbulence and suggest you stay seated", at least in my experience. Of course they don't always get it right both ways: Sometimes reports of turbulence ahead turn out to be false positives, and at other times, strong turbulence can happen without any warning.

Affric 2y ago

Yep. Always have my seatbelt on. I am used to it.