Phoenix , Arizona ( CNN ) -- On Tuesday , an American Airlines flight carrying 154 passengers slid off a runway while landing in torrential rain in Jamaica , stopping just short of the Caribbean Sea . The impact severely damaged the aircraft -- which broke into three separate pieces -- and caused the Boeing 737 's engines to shear off the wings . Thankfully , there were no fatalities ; 91 people were taken to hospitals where they were evaluated and most were released . On Wednesday , a Ryanair flight skidded off the runway in Scotland , coming to a stop 30 yards from a busy road . Amazingly , there were no injuries . These incidents bring to mind a series of high-profile commercial aviation accidents that occurred earlier this year . In January , the world watched in awe of the U.S. Airways `` Miracle on the Hudson . '' In February , the nation mourned the fatal crash of a Continental Airlines flight over Buffalo and took note of a Turkish Airlines crash in Amsterdam where nine were killed and dozens more injured . With these incidents capturing headlines , some passengers are asking , `` Is commercial aviation safe ? '' The answer is an unequivocal yes for two reasons . First , accidents are infrequent . According to the International Air Transport Association , there is one accident for every 1.2 million flights . Second , most aviation accidents are survivable . The National Transportation and Safety Board reports more than 80 percent of all commercial airline accidents are survivable . In fact , you are 15 times more likely to be involved in a fatal automobile accident than a fatal commercial airline accident . The reason : Most commercial aviation accidents occur on take-off or landing -- when aircraft are closer to the ground flying at relatively low speeds . Because the aircraft in these survivable accidents are still close to the airport , pilots often have more maneuverability to land the aircraft safely . In contrast , non-survivable aviation accidents occur when a catastrophic event takes place in the course of a flight , such as a serious mechanical failure , major structural failure or mid-air collision . The key to surviving a commercial aviation crash is remaining conscious during `` the golden time '' -- the critical 90 seconds immediately following impact . In a survivable crash , fatalities occur not only from the impact of the aircraft hitting the ground , but more frequently from smoke inhalation and fire when passengers can not escape the aircraft quickly . Passengers can take certain steps to protect themselves in the event of a crash . The first step is to keep your seatbelt buckled at all times -- even when the flight is not experiencing turbulence . The precious seconds it takes to secure a seatbelt when an impact is pending may be too late . The second common step to protect yourself in the unlikely event of a commercial airline crash is to familiarize yourself with the safety features of the aircraft . While frequent fliers may ignore the pre-flight safety briefing , understanding how to properly operate safety restraints , locating the nearest emergency exit and following the flight crew 's instructions in an emergency is critical . Decisions that are made in the seconds following impact can mean the difference between life and death . Another important factor in improving your chances of surviving a commercial airline accident is properly adopting the `` brace position '' when instructed by crew . The brace position stops your body from flying forward and striking the seat or interior in front of you which could result in a serious head or neck trauma . Those injuries could render you unable to escape the aircraft during the critical 90 seconds . The seats in commercial airliners are engineered to optimize safety . The distance between seat rows and the pitch of seatbacks are all designed to keep passengers secure during an impact . Aircraft manufacturers , airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration are constantly identifying new ways to make commercial air travel safer . To that end , a new FAA regulation took effect in October requiring the airframe and seat structure of all newly manufactured commercial airliners flying in the United States to safely absorb a crash of up to 16Gs ( 16 times the force of gravity ) . This is an update to the current 9G standard that has been in effect since the 1950s . Airlines are taking a number of measures to comply with this new regulation including adjusting the distance between seat rows and altering the pitch of seatbacks . One of the ways airlines are complying with the improved seating safety regulation is by installing a technology AmSafe developed to make survivable accidents even safer : the industry 's first seatbelt airbag . It is exactly what it sounds like -- an airbag located in the lap belt of an aviation restraint . In a survivable impact , the airbag inflates in less than 90 milliseconds , moving away from the passenger to fill the space in front of them , protecting their head and torso . Aviation seatbelt airbags are designed to protect against head injuries ; if passengers remain conscious they have a greater chance of safely evacuating the aircraft . While some people question the safety of commercial aviation , the safety statistics still hold . Flying in a commercial airliner is safer than driving to the grocery store in your automobile . But the industry must not stand still . Through passenger education , improved safety standards and the application of new technologies , everyone involved in commercial aviation must remain dedicated to improving safety any way they can . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bill Hagan .
Air crashes are extremely rare , says Bill Gates , and 80 percent are survivable . He says passengers can take several steps to increase their chances of survival . He says new rules require that wings and engines be made to withstand stronger forces .