Funny you should say that; infant mortality is 1/3 what it was in 1950 and lets not even get into maternal mortality rates or centuries before that when it was much worse. Most of our modern comforts have been beneficial for the health and welfare of the population. The fact is that the car centric culture in the US makes it difficult, but not impossible, to raise a family without a car. Some states (NY,MA) even make it illegal to transport an infant by bike.