I’m not surprised.

That’s because the media focused on the emotional stories of the passengers after they had an emergency landing in Miami. One after the other, the terrified passengers shared their stories with the media. One bumped her head so hard on the panels above that it cracked the plastic as well as her head.

These stories could turn even the most fearless fliers into a fearful flier in a jiffy. The media likes to focus on these emotional stories. Even better when they are hysterical!

It seemed to come out of nowhere, but as I explained yesterday, turbulence is possible even in clear weather.

Since it was in the middle of the night, many people had taken their seatbelt off so they could stretch out and sleep under a blanket. A blanket may make you feel snug and safe but it’s no substitute for your seatbelt.

The fact is that every single one of the injuries of the twenty six people who were hurt was unnecessary. If each and every one of them had been wearing their seatbelt during the flight, no one would have been hurt, the interior of the cabin would not have been damaged and there would have been no need to divert the plane to Miami for an emergency landing.

In our everyday life, we take precautions for our own safety. We look before we cross the street. We lock our doors at night. We keep our wallet in a safe place.

Instead of focusing on the stories of fear and hysteria, I want you to focus on what you can do for your own safety. Next time you fly, take some safety precautions.

Listen to your pilots and flight attendants when they give safety announcements. The flight attendants are on board for your safety.

The simple action of fastening your seatbelt during flight will make flying safer for you.

Allow this to give you peace of mind and reduce your fear of flying.

You can get even more tips by signing up for “7 Tips to Fly Stress Free” in the upper right corner.

I want to point out that the Continental emergency landing was not because of the airplane. It was because of injuries related to turbulence. They could have easily been avoided.

Some people ignore the pilot’s advice to keep their seatbelts fastened. They’re thinking “What could happen? The flight is so smooth.” Or, they feel uncomfortable with the seatbelt tightened. Maybe they never wear their seatbelt while driving a car and so they aren’t used to the feeling.

We can’t make you keep your seatbelt on, but we strongly suggest that you do.

Why?

Today’s airplane turbulence incident is a perfect example.

I’ve flown to South America many times and I’m familiar with that area. There aren’t a lot of other people flying in that area and that means that there are fewer reports of turbulence.

Of course, if there is a storm, our weather radar will pick it up and we’ll be able to go around it.  We’ll slow down to soften the rough ride as well as maintain the structural integrity of the airplane. When we can’t go around it, we make an announcement to the passengers to expect some turbulence and give an extra reminder to put your seatbelts on.

Sometimes airplane turbulence is not expected.  We fly into what is called ‘clear air turbulence’.

What is clear air turbulence?

The air is clear. There’s no storm and so it doesn’t show up on our weather radar screen. The turbulence is unseen. The only way we know about it in advance is if pilots report it to air traffic control.

Pilots will report clear air turbulence when they fly into it so that others can avoid it. In areas where there are a lot of other people flying, this works really well. In areas where there is less traffic such as where the Continental jet was flying, there were probably no reports made.

This is a volatile time for weather in the Caribbean. They were probably flying in an area where the wind was going in one direction and then suddenly shifted to another direction. Turbulence is when the wind is changing directions and flows from high pressure toward the low pressure.

These injuries could have been avoided if they had been wearing their seatbelt.

Understanding the nuances of turbulence can be reassuring  and will help to reduce your fear of flying.  Always keep your seatbelt fastened. It’s not just for airline safety. It’s for you own safety as well.

You can learn more ways to overcome fear of flying in my program “Lose the Fear – and Fly!”

I was on live this morning in Canada on CTV offering my expert aviation analysis on the latest airplane crash and flight safety in Iran. You can get your own tips and updates by completing the form at the upper right to get your “7 Tips to Fly Stress Free”

I’ve added a slide show for you to watch as you listen in.