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Grover Norquist Is Unimpressed By Your Airline’s Pre-Flight Seat Belt Demonstration

GGN took to Twitter earlier this evening to air his grievances about being shown how to put on an airplane seat belt.

I’m going to do ol’ Grover a solid and have George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com, explain to him why it’s important to know the difference between an airplane and car seat belt:

You have been in a car lately; in fact, you probably unbuckled a car seat belt an hour before boarding your plane, and may have done so dozens of times in the days before your flight.

But car seat belts work differently from the “lift the buckle” way that airplane seat belts release. And in a panicked emergency, passengers might not be thinking clearly. Fliers who are disoriented or mentally incapacitated — barely awake before a 6 a.m., takeoff, jetlagged after a long flight, or under the influence of Ambien or alcohol — have been known to reach to the right or left near their thighs, as you would in an automobile, trying to push a seat belt release button rather than reaching for their laps and lifting a flap. In other words, previously established “muscle memory” works against you in a crisis.

You’re welcome, Grover.