Not overboard, it's just our job. Just because something doesn't "seem" likely or doesn't make sense to a passenger or isn't apparent does not negate it's importance. As for having things on your seat, those should be stowed as well. If we ask you to stow a bag under a seat "leaving the area around your feet clear" then why would it be okay to leave things unsecure on a seat? Especially a laptop.

It's not our jobs as crew and passengers to decipher how likely something is to happen, or what we "think" would really occur and then use that to decide if we should or shouldn't follow the rules. In the end the rules exist, sensical or nonsensical as they seem and they should be followed. Safety should and will always come before comfort and if it seems inconvenient all we can do is apologize, explain and then ask again for compliance.

Until things change I will leave that crash/accident study research up to the FAA, Civil Aeronatuical Medical Institute, and Intl. Cabin Safety Symposium experts. My job is to inform and in some cases enforce the findings.