Childrens Hospital Colorado is urging parents and caregivers to keep car seat safety in mind as new data shows a rise in crash-related injuries.From 2024 to 2025, Childrens Colorado saw a 7% increase in emergency department visi ts related to motor vehicle collisions. Despite a mild winter in Colorado, hospital officials say the uptick is concerning. Injury prevention and outreach specialist Amanda Abramczyk-Thill says it is important to consider a child's height and weight, not just age, when it comes to car seats and vehicle restraint systems."Sometimes caregivers might be anxious or excited to move their child to the next stage when they're big enough," Abramczyk-Thill said. "But we really want to maximize the benefits of each stage before we move onto the next, so our kid is as safe as possible."HB24-1055, led by Children's Colorado, was signed into law in 2024. According to Children's Colorado, this marked the first update to Colorado's child passenger safety laws since 2010.Kids now have to remain rear-facing until theyre at least 2-years-old and 20 pounds," Abramczyk-Thill said. "After the minimum requirements for rear-facing, children can be in a forward-facing harness car seat as long as they are beyond those age and weight allowances."Abramczyk-Thill adds once a child is over 4-years-old and 40 pounds, they can legally move to a booster seat."They must be in some sort of car seat or booster seat until their ninth birthday and in the backseat if its available," Abramczyk-Thill said. "We know that rear seat is really the safest position for our younger kiddos.This legislative session, Childrens Colorado is also supporting SB26-026, which aims to close a gap in which vehicles are subject to child restraint requirements based on gross vehicle weight. If passed, the criterion would shift from less than 10,000 pounds to less than 16,000 pounds, creating more consistent standards across Colorado roadways.The Children's Hospital Colorado Safety Store is located at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, but is open to the public. Children's Colorado says,the Safety Store offers high-quality safety products, including car seats (with free nationwide shipping, providing access to Colorado Springs families) and expert recommendations. All proceeds are reinvested back into our hospital's community-based injury prevention education and initiatives.Children's Colorado hosts monthly car seat check events through its Safe Kids Colorado Springs Coalition. The next event is on Thursday, March 12th from 3-6 p.m. at Colorado Springs Fire Station 1, located at 29 S Weber Street. To schedule, email [email protected] Senior Reporter Meghan Glova at [email protected] Meghan Glova KOAA on Facebook.____Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching. ...read more read less