New Car Seat Guidelines Suggested – But State Law Lags Behind

Car accidents are the leading cause of death for children 4 years old and older. About 1,500 children across the United States die in car wrecks every year.

New guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics hope to improve that statistic.

According to the AAP, children should ride in rear-facing car seats through 2 years of age. Previously, parents were advised to keep their children in rear-facing car seats until they turned 1.

A 2007 study in the journal Injury Prevention showed that children under age 2 are 75 percent less likely to die or be severely injured in a crash if they are riding with their car seat rear-facing.

A rear-facing child safety seat does a better job of supporting the head, neck and spine of infants and toddlers in a crash - because it distributes the force of the collision over the entire body.

Basically, children should transition from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing seat with a harness when they reach the maximum weight or height for that seat.

But most parents made the transition when their child turned 1 - before their child reached the weight and height requirements.

The next safety seat transition is to a booster seat. Under these guidelines, most children will need a booster seat until they reach 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years old.

Sparky Dean, senior trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety, told KTXS that the DPS agrees with the study and supports it. However, Texas law still states: "If the child is 20 pounds or 12 months, they have to be in a rear facing seat. Once they are 20 pounds or 12 months then you can go forward facing."

Parents caught not following this law will face a class C misdemeanor, which carries a $200 fine.

Dean said that "90 percent of car seats are installed incorrectly," so if you want to make sure yours is installed correctly, you can call the Texas Department of Public Safety at 795-4084 and they will check it for you for free.