NTSB Urges Parents to Use Car Seats on Planes

http://iphone.usatoday.com/News/2249871/

(I hope that link works--posting from my iPod.)

I wish USA Today could have used a better photo, though.

What a photo! Crazy, it's like no one has taken another picture of a car seat on a plane since the very first time it was suggested.

I know. I've never seen a child seat in use when I have flown.

Thumbs up to the article.
Thumbs down to the carseat and mother's dress, both of which are most certainly expired.

While it's in the news, it's not anything new, since the NTSB has recommended this for years and years and years (and yes they have horrible pictures--DH brought home a brochure a couple years ago and they were using t-shields).
ETA; And I see they are still using t-shield seats the other picture was on a small plane RF.

I thought the car seat had to be by the window.

I'm sure they mean really well but this is a very dumb suggestion since safety for kids on airplanes is not an issue. The amount of children dying from turbulence or who could be saved in an accident is zero each year. Children are safer on planes than anywhere else, including in our living room.

If every single child on airplanes used a car seat we could possibly safe 1 (!) child every 10 years. This is according to research which FAA has done. During that time 400 000 people will die in traffic accidents. Tens of thousands of young children will die in traffic during this period of time.

The quote below sums up just how clueless they are about car seats. It shows very clearly that NTSB can't see the big picture and that they have no idea that safety on aircraft and vehicles can't be compared. The comparison is not applicable for many reasons.

If we are so careful to strap our children into car seats when we drive to the airport, then why are we not as diligent in securing them in a seat of their own on the aircraft?" NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman says.

Click to expand...

Nagging about car seats on planes cause more parents to use their car which means serious injuries and fatalities increase. The idea of making car seats mandatory would be a huge disaster since serious injuries and fatalities among young children would go up sharply instead since parents would use cars more often.

It will hopefully never happen but the aircraft/airline lobbying in US is very strong. More kids in car seats on planes means higher expenses for parents and billions more in revenue for airlines.