That is not the correct question to ask. I think a child's life is absolutely worth the cost. In fact, I would never, ever, let my child fly without a car seat. I think you'd be crazy to do so. My point is that many parents don't feel this way. We make these sorts of choices all the time. Cars come with three point seat belts, planes come with two-point seat belts, except for the crew. We would ALL be safer if we had five point seat belts, but this would increase cost, and so we choose not to do so. I don't think we need to legislate things because parent make different choices than I would.

I was allowed to each Froot Loops and Sugar Smacks growing up. My parents certainly did not want a law passed because doing so increased my risk of cavities.

I am an economist, and there does not seem to be a reason to legislate people's choices just because they do not agree with you or I.

What an ignorant statement!

According to this 1990 article, http://www.cato.org/pubs/briefs/bp-011.html

"In a study prepared for the FAA, Department of Transportation researchers concluded that mandatory infant safety seats could have prevented at most only one infant death since 1978. All other infant fatalities in airline crashes occurred in sections of planes where no one survived.[11] On the other hand, nearly 1,200 children under five years of age were killed in automobile accidents in 1988.[12] That means that there were approximately one-quarter more automobile deaths of very young children in 1988 alone than there were total deaths of children and adults on scheduled airlines during the entire 1980-88 period.[13]"

Why would it be crazy to take an infant on a flight without a car seat? Seems rational to me. Don't you think the money spent on the plane ticket for the infant could be much more effectively used by putting it toward installation of fire sprinklers in the home where your child sleeps?

Do you carry your infant on an escalator without a car seat? Stairs? Is it absolutely crazy to do so? Is it any more dangerous than taking your infant on a flight without a car seat?

But what the study does not tell you is how many kids ended up with brain damage or in coma. We had several a year at the Peds Trauma unit in Chicago.

As per the economist, whom do you think pays for these kids. Florida had a big push not to mandate motorcycle helmets for similar reasons you give -- until someone figured out the increased medical costs for taking care of the fools who rode without.

If you're an economist, how many plane tickets for infants (who would otherwise be flying as a lap child) would you have to buy before you saved one infant life? What would be the total cost per life saved?

DMonkey: It is impossible to hold onto a kid on your lap if the plane hits an air pocket; no correlation with escalator (and no, we did not take kid in stroller on escalator as some turkeys do).

Reminds me of Churchill when he asked the Lady if she would sleep with him for a million pounds. After she replied yes, he asked for one pound and she replied "what do you think I am". His: "we have established that, now we are negotiating the price".

How much do you think a life is worth or not being in a permanent coma?

True, and it's also impossible to avoid being killed by a drunk driver for parents in this world who needs to travel but would end up driving because they can't afford a ticket for what would otherwise be a lap child.

If you're asking my price, well, personally, I'm more than willing to take what I think is a one in two million chance that my infant will be put in a coma or killed on a flight if it will save me $500

So, if it's I guess my price is a billion dollars (2,000,000 x $500) for my child.

Is there something wrong with my math? What are the chances on a per flight basis that an unrestrained lap child will become killed or permanently injured (and would have survived with a car seat)?

According to my personal value system, the $500 would serve the child much better if I put it in his 529 plan.

Again, There were zero deaths in kids in the back middle seat with a properly fastened car seat last year in the US per the National Trauma Registry.

Man, people can't even install a car seat properly in a car. Even if mandated, I really doubt it'd help prevent much of anything.

The seat might be on the plane, but that doesn't mean jr is gonna be safe in it.

Besides the properly fastened children, what about other people in the vehicles or in other vehicles involved in those accidents?

If some families were too poor to buy plane tickets for the children but could afford a proper car seat, why would you want to give those families the incentive to drive? Wouldn't they be safer flying with the baby on someone's lap?

The baby is going to be safe even if not in a car seat.

If the baby dies on the plane, it's most likely going to be an Air France 447 situation where no car seat in the world could save him/her.

dmonkey
Again, Check with your stews and ask them how many injured kids they have seen.

As to the adults, if they can't afford it, they shouldn't fly. Guess that is why I buy first class tickets

If you called for a stew, would anyone answer?