Click here to visit the new home of ParentDish!

Hot on HuffPost Parents:

 

Safety Board Says Kids Younger Than 2 Should Have Own Seats on Airplanes

by Tom Henderson (Subscribe to Tom Henderson's posts)
Aug 13th 2010 6:00PM

6Comments

Filed under: In The News, Health

Safety Board Says Kids Younger Than 2 Should Have Own Seats on Airplanes

Safety board requires seats for children. Credit: Seth Wenig, AP


When a small plane crashed in Butte, Mont. in March 2009, all 14 people on board died -- including seven children, ages 1 to 9.

The bodies of four children -- ages 3 to 9 -- were found the farthest from the crash site.

That tells federal investigators a lot. Even though they concluded no one could have survived the crash, they did some math. The flight plan listed two pilot seats and eight passenger seats, which means some of the kids were sitting on people's laps.

"These children were likely thrown from the airplane because they were unrestrained or improperly restrained," states a National Transportation Safety Board report quoted by the Washington Post. Had the crash been less severe, the children might have survived.

That's why, the Post reports, your lap may no longer substitute for an airline seat.

NTSB officials sent a recommendation to the Federal Aviation Administration this week, urging that children younger than 2 no longer be allowed to fly in the laps of adults.

The group also urges the FAA to require all passengers -- regardless of age -- to have a seat on all flights, including commercial, private and charter aircrafts.

FAA officials have heard these pleas before -- and rejected them. The Post reports their feeling is that parents who can't afford seats for children will decide to drive instead. That means more cars on the road where, statistically, the chance of fatal accidents is higher.

In fact, according to the Post, NTSB Vice Chairman Christopher A. Hart filed a dissent to his group's recommendation.

"We have made that recommendation before, without success, and we have no reason to believe that this approach will achieve a better result this time," he writes.

Instead, Hart recommends an alternative.

"I think we should recommend that the FAA revisit, in light of current infant car seat technology, whether there is a scientific basis for excepting children under age 2 from the restraint requirements," he writes. "And if there is no scientific basis for the exception, then the exception is arbitrary, by definition, and should be rescinded."

Related: Airplane Jitters When Traveling With Kids? Just Relax

Tags: airline seat, AirlineSeat, flying with kids, FlyingWithKids

YourVoice

Ask Us Anything About Parenting

Get Answers

Recently Asked

More Related Questions

ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)

Add Your Comments

FollowUs

Flickr RSS

TheTalkies

AskAdviceMama

How can I get my teenage son to open up?
AdviceMama Says:
Start by teaching him that it is safe to do so.
Read more

More Recent Questions: