Car seat recommendation reminders for Child Passenger Safety Month

ROUND ROCK, Texas - It’s Child Passenger Safety Month and local medical professionals are urging parents to learn about modern suggestions for car seat use at St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center.

Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children.

Experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics say car seats need to be used longer than what was previously thought, being used until your child reaches the maximum height and weight limit.

Kristen Hullum is a registered nurse and the Trauma Injury Prevention Coordinator at St. David's Round Rock Medical Center, and she says she normally sees that people transition out of car seats too quickly. Parents will move from a rear-facing to a forward-facing car seat or from a car seat to a booster before their kids are ready.

Some parents skip boosters altogether. Booster seats reduce the risk of injury in a vehicle by 50%, allowing the seatbelt to be correctly worn at the proper height across the body.

"Texas law says that a child must be in a restraint until they are eight years of age or four foot nine inches tall," Hullum said. "While it is law, best practice or what is safest is actually much longer."