If you're on a plane that crashes and you have to evacuate, you're supposed to leave your belongings behind. And every time there is a plane crash that makes the news, you hear about people trying to bring their belongings with them.
An easy way to prevent this would be to widely publicize what actually, in real life, happens to people who evacuate a plane and find themselves on the tarmac of a strange airport in a strange country with only the clothes on their back. (Which might not even include coat and shoes, because sometimes people make themselves comfortable on airplanes.)
What measures are in place to keep people safe? How do they avoid the pitfalls we can all anticipate, and those we can't?
Suppose your passport is on the plane. You're in a foreign country with no passport and no ID. Maybe it isn't your destination country and you aren't actually legally permitted to enter that country. What measures are in place to regularize your presence so you don't get arrested and imprisoned? What if the country you're in isn't safe for people of your demographic?
Suppose your wallet is on the plane. You have no money and no cards. How do you get all the things you need, including random incidentals like menstrual pads and eczema cream?
Suppose you lose your driver's licence in the plane crash and need to
drive home from the airport. What provisions are in place to keep the
cops from arresting you for driving without a licence?
What if your baby's car seat is in the plane? How do you safely and legally get, like, anywhere?
To what extent are they assuming goodwill ("Don't be silly, the
authorities won't arrest you for being in a foreign country without a
passport if you've just been in a plane crash!") vs. having actual
procedures in place ("This is your official internationally recognized
Plane Crash Survivor card")?
If they actually want people to leave their belongings behind, they need to let people know what measures are in place to protect them. But I've never seen anyone report on this - it's always just "These plane crash survivors are Bad and Wrong for trying to collect their belongings!"
Good questions! For sure anyone in heels should have left their shoes behind, because you can't go down the slide in serious heels. Does the airport rescue team (or the passenger welfare office?) have a range of sizes of comfy runners and/or winter boots? Conversely though, if I smell smoke, my passport and wallet are not on my mind. Your embassy or consulate cannot help you replace ID if you died in a fire.
ReplyDeleteIt's possible that -- if you had the presence of mind, which you might not -- your passport and money would be on your person, in a pouch or some other wearable money-holder. Many people (including me) travel with passport, health card, credit card, and cash in easy reach at all times. So you could leave all the other stuff behind, and still have the super important things. This doesn't answer all your other very good questions, but it would help you get to the next step.
ReplyDeleteI actually do that as well - valuables are on my person, or I have a clear and specific plan to get them on my person in an emergency. At the same time, that's no basis for policy - if you want people to leave their stuff when they evacuate, you need a plan for if they get off the plane with zero stuff!
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