Are kids safer in a parent's lap?

...than in their own seat? The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says "yes." Although a child has a bigger chance of surviving a crash when belted into their own seat, doing so would cost extra.

That cost...would cause some families to revert to car travel, which is less safe. “Consequently,” states the agency in its latest response to the safety board, “entire families would be subject to far higher fatality rates, which would produce a net increase in overall transportation fatalities.”

Remember, when evaluating a policy, you want to consider all benefits and costs that vary with the consequence of a policy. If you miss some, you commit the "hidden cost" fallacy. BRAVO to the FAA for recognizing the hidden cost of mandating safety belts and for saving lives!