If you pay attention to the news, you know that the American Red Cross doesn’t just respond to natural disasters — we respond to transportation disasters as well.

In fact, you might remember the Hudson River plane crash that occured just a year and a half ago. Or the Buffalo crash just about one month later.

I remind you of this after viewing Wired’s gallery of plane crashes that people actually survived.

Sure, you never know when this might happen — and it can be paralyzing to expect the worst –in our ongoing campaign to keep you prepared (and empowered), I thought I’d also link to Wired’s cool wiki on how to survive a plane crash.

From where you sit on the plane (the back) to what kind of clothes to wear while traveling (long pants, long sleeves), there are several tips that go beyond just common sense. Don’t cross your legs or ankles for take-off and landing? Interesting.

Of utmost importance, pay attention to the safety briefing and review the safety card. There are lots of different models of planes…you can’t assume that you know ’em all.

And, as always, don’t panic. Follow instructions from the flight crew and you’ll hopefully be a lucky survivor yourself.