If you are a passenger on a plane, how would you react if they had to make an emergency landing? The flight attendants tell you to get into the brace position immediately for your safety. But what if the purpose of this positon is to kill you instantly? Be safe while traveling by plane, if you do so often, no one wants see anyone get hurt.

One theory suggests the purpose of the brace position is to kill the passengers quickly and painlessly by breaking their necks to allow airlines to avoid paying for medical costs and getting sued. It costs $3 million to $40 million less for wrongful death than having to pay for a lifetime of medical costs. According to this theory, the purpose of the brace position is to also preserve passengers’ teeth after their deaths to identify them through dental records.

This theory, according to numerous websites, is not true. The evidence within those websites proves that the brace position increases the chances of avoiding serious injuries and death. As reported by the MythBusters, in a Discovery Channel program, with Buster being a test dummy, “Although the ShockWatch stickers on Buster’s body showed that he would’ve made it out alive in either position, his body absorbed more of the impact while sitting upright than in the brace position.” Thus proving the brace position is significantly safer.

In the event of a crash, as stated in a video titled Scary Plane Crashes by Shane Dawson, here are some things you can do to be safe: Book a seat within five rows from the exit door so that hopefully you can get out of the plane within 90 seconds. While walking to your seat, touch each seat as you pass so you know how many seats you are from the exit. This way, if the plane gets filled with smoke you can touch the amount of seats you are from the exit.

According to the video, one of the safest positions to take while a plane is crashing is to put your head in between your knees and hug your legs. This keeps your head safe from the seat in front of you, keep your arms from flying around, and protects your neck from snapping. You want to be completely aware of your surroundings when you’re on the plane so that in the event of a crash you don’t get left behind. If you’re trying to get out, in the event of a crash leave your personal items behind. Your life is more important than your things. Always put your oxygen mask on before anyone else’s because if you don’t put on your mask in the next fifteen seconds, you pass out.

If you think about it, traveling in a plane is so much safer than traveling in a car. Thousands of car crashes happen each day, while only a handful of plane crashes occur each year. So don’t believe everything you hear, no matter how horrendous it may sound.