Office of Medical Communications

Rebecca Bell, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the Larner College of Medicine and a pediatric critical care physician at the University of Vermont (UVM) Children’s Hospital

(SEPTEMBER 20, 2024) Rebecca Bell, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the Larner College of Medicine and a pediatric critical care physician at the University of Vermont (UVM) Children’s Hospital, was interviewed by WCAX-TV for a story on car seat safety during Child Passenger Safety Week.

Bell is outspoken about kids’ safety on topics like vaccines, gun security and proper car seat use, so it hits hard when a child comes to the hospital with preventable injuries from a car crash—one of the top causes of death for kids in the United States.

“We take care of children and adolescents who are really crudely injured, and some die from car accidents in Vermont. And so this is something I feel really strongly about, pediatricians feel really strongly about,” said Bell. “Kids have different anatomy than adults, and so in order to move kids around in a car safely, they have to be in a seat that’s special for them and special for their anatomy,” she emphasized.

Bell says she hopes resources like these help parents install properly and graduate kids to new car seats at the right pace.

“We’re asking parents to slow down and check before you change. Hold on until they’re fully ready,” said Bell.

To check your child’s car seat, experts recommend starting with a closer look at the rules posted on the side of most seats.