An FAA analysis of survivable accidents from 1978 through 1994 found that 9 deaths, 4 major injuries, and 8 minor injuries to children occurred. The analysis also found that the use of child safety seats would have prevented 5 deaths, all the major injuries, and 4 to 6 of the minor injuries. Child safety advocates have pointed to several survivable accidents in which children died--a 1994 Charlotte, North Carolina, crash; a 1990 Cove Neck, New York, accident; and a 1987 Denver, Colorado, accident
The US Case: A 1992 FAA rule required airlines to allow child restraint systems, but FAA has opposed mandatory child safety seats on the basis of studies showing that requiring adults to pay for children's seats would induce more car travel, which the study said was more dangerous for children than airplane travel. One study published in 1995 by DOT estimated that if families were charged full fares for children's seats, 20 percent would choose other modes of transportation, resulting in a net increase of 82 deaths among children and adults over 10 years.
Turbulence can be a more frequent danger to unrestrained children than accidents, one expert told us that a compromise solution might include allowing some type of alternative in-flight restraint.
In a 1996 study by R.G.W Cherry & Associates, enhancing occupant restraint was ranked as the second most important of
33 potential ways to improve air crash survivability. Turbulence reportedly injures at least 15 U.S. cabin occupants a year,
and possibly over 100. Most of these injuries are to flight attendants who are unrestrained.
In Europe, the regulations vary from country to country.
(Advancements Being Pursued to Improve Airliner Cabin Occupant Safety and Health' which was released on October 17, 2003. gao.gov)