Ask the Little Bald Bastard

Dear Little Bald Bastard,
  What's the deal with putting your seat back in the upright position when your plane is landing? Will the three-inch chasm between upright and reclined make any difference?
  Seriously, this keeps me up at night, and Friend Brian says I should ask. Solve the mystery, man.
  Thanks,
- Jenn

Dear Jenn (and Friend Brian),
  I bet you asked this question assuming I'd take your side and toss off a sarcastic dismissal of the seemingly arbitrary seat position requirements dictated by the flying debt hoses we call airlines. LBB thumbs his nose at your expectations; to quote Vanilla Ice in Cold As Ice, "You don't know me. You don't wanna know me. I'm dangerous."

  It turns out the important factor in a plane crash is the distance to the seat in front of you. If you can brace yourself against it, your chances of a fatal head or spinal injury are dramatically decreased. If everyone puts their seat up, you'll be a few inches closer to the seat in front of you, and it will be easier to brace against the flat, vertical surface.

  Having your seat up will also make a big difference when the fat guy behind you, who's been snoring like a brick in a wood chipper since Cleveland, awakes on touchdown and decides to maneuver his bulk into the aisle. That extra three inches might just be the difference between an uncomfortable, huffing exit or a belly bump to the back of your head.

  Now go away, or I shall quote appalling cinema at you a second time.