Use a car seat for children under 4, don’t hold them in your arms

Cost: A seat costs between 300 and 2,000 yuan and lasts several years. It adds about one minute to each trip to buckle the child in.
In plain terms: For infants under one year old, using a car seat cuts the risk of a fatal injury in a crash by roughly 70%. For children aged 1 to 4, the risk drops by about half. Holding a child in your arms provides no such protection; in a sudden stop you simply cannot keep them secure.
Benefit: According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), car seats lower the risk of fatal injury for infants under one year old by 71% and for children aged 1 to 4 by 54%. The World Health Organization reports a similar 71% reduction in infant deaths.
Evidence grade: A
Sources:NHTSA (2024). Occupant Protection in Passenger Vehicles: 2022 Data (DOT HS 813 573). https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813573 ; WHO (2025). Road traffic injuries fact sheet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-traffic-injuries
Notes: Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to install the seat correctly; a faulty installation offers no protection. Infants under one year must be placed rear‑facing. These figures are based on official U.S. crash data.