Comment by andrewaylett
3 years ago
People evacuate with their luggage because in times of high stress, we fall back on habit. What do we do when it's time to leave an aircraft? We make sure we have all our belongings with us!
That's just one reason why it's important to listen to the safety briefing, even if you've heard it before. The repeated drill helps us to remember what to do, even when there's added stress.
I don't really think the phenomenon is anything other than people selfishly wanting their belongings to be saved over another passenger's life.
This seems a bit too misanthropic. The risk-reward is more nuanced. If I take my stuff, odds are everybody will still be okay, and I'll have my stuff.