MythBusters Episode 33: Killer Brace Position

The brace position was actually designed by the airline industry to kill people rather than save them during an airplane crash in order to save money by paying off wrongful death suits rather than continuous injury compensations.

busted

The brace position protected the test subject (Buster) from serious and possibly fatal injuries. When the test subject was not braced he received far more serious injuries.

(There is a grain of truth to this myth, however: It was learned through research that the amount of money paid by airlines in wrongful death suits is lower than the amount of money paid for injury compensation.)

Driving while talking on a cell phone is just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated.

confirmed

Both Adam and Kari failed a general-purpose road safety test while talking on a cell phone and while driving drunk, with cell phones by a wider margin. However, Adam commented that one can easily put away a cell phone if necessary, but not simply become sober as needed.