I'll save my breath if you can show me some research that backs up your assertions. Obviously I hit a nerve if you are done.
I'll back off, though, and tell a hypothetical story about a hypothetical family. Jack, Jill and their 2 kids Jimmy (10) and Janie (2) go to Disney World. It's too inconvenient to haul a car seat around so they leave it at home. They plan to use the bus system anyway, so there is no place for a car seat. Then they decide to hit DTD for some shopping, and they decide to take a taxi. They secure their shopping bags in the trunk. Jack rides in the front with the driver, Jill and the kids in the back. Everyone wears their safety belt, even little Janie. Jill knows that if Janie is sitting on her lap she could easily become a projectile in a crash, because there is no way Jill could hold onto her.
So off they go, little Janie securely in that belt, with the shoulder portion tucked behind her. Bob, who is running late for work and distracted, runs a red light and t-bones their car. Little Janie's seatbelt does nothing to protect the upper portion of her body, so she flies forward and her (typical and normal) heavy toddler head flies forward also. Her spine doesn't fly stretch quite enough to accomodate the forward motion. In addition, the seat belt has retracted and, not finding the hip bones that an adult would have or the structure a booster seat would provide, cuts into Janie's stomach and causes considerable damage to her internal organs.
Now, had Jill chosen to hold Janie... Janie would have flown from her arms due to the force crashes. She would have been a projectile, bouncing around the car and injuring other people in addition to herself. Jimmy might now have a head injury from his little sister bouncing off him.
All because it was too inconvenient to use a car seat while on vacation. Jack and Jill? They will never forgive themselves. They knew better, but chose to take that risk for their child. They buckled themselves in, but made the decision on behalf of Janie that she would be fine without benefit of the proper restraints they used themselves.
Is that better?