I'm the poster child for being a 'safe' passenger; I always pay attention to the briefing; I read the laminated card front and back; I count the number of seat backs between me and the nearest exit (and next nearest exit, just in case); I make sure I have a scarf or item of clothing to cover my nose in case of thick smoke; I wear my seat-belt at all times when seated. Short of travelling the whole journey in the brace position, I'm not sure there's much more I could do to increase my survival chances.
Despite all that, I'm far from sure how I would cope in the event of oxygen masks dropping down, etc., because I've never had the opportunity to physically DO any of the things being demonstrated in the safety briefing. I have no idea how close to me the mask would drop, and how hard a 'tug' is required. In the event of landing on water, I'm fairly sure I wouldn't remember how to do the thing with the straps and the pull-cord. I doubt if I could open an emergency door, because I don't know how much pressure is required or whether things should 'click' or engage or whatever.
It's very hard to do something where you have no muscle memory, no experience of the movements required or the sensations experienced.
Even a single run-through would transform awareness and performance. Yet when does a passenger ever get the chance to even touch an oxygen mask or a life-jacket? Why aren't there classes to give us some experience of, say, opening an emergency door?
Trying to work out how to do all these things is not much helped by being in a state of panic and fear.
I wonder how many of us coped perfectly the first time we drove a car that skidded on black ice? Did we smoothly and calmly recall the 'steer-into-the-skid' instructions that we had been told (theoretically)? I bet most of us panicked and slammed on the brakes. We'd handle it better the second, third, tenth time.
Airline passengers have never had the opportunity to rehearse in the way that air-crew have.