With car crashes being the leading cause of death in children age 14 and younger, Sept. 18-24 has been declared National Child Passenger Safety Week. To help protect younger riders, the Texas Department of Transportation is working to raise awareness about what parents and drivers can do to keep child passengers safe. “We are determined to educate parents and caregivers in Texas about the importance of buckling their child into the correct car seat for their age and size,” TxDOT Executive Director James Bass said in a statement. “It’s not only the law, but we’re also trying to save lives through proper use of safety seats.” Here are three tips on what drivers can do to make their cars safe and compliant with Texas laws: 1. Use a car seat. Texas law requires that all children younger than age 8 be restrained in a car seat until they are taller than 4 feet, 9 inches. Failure to do so can result in a $250 ticket. To find out if a child should use a rear- or front-facing car seat, parents can check www.savemewithaseat.com for guidelines. 2. Install car seats correctly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, three out of four car seats are installed in cars incorrectly. Car seats are less effective if the seat is installed too loose or if the clips are not positioned around the child's chest correctly. 3. Schedule a car seat inspection. To help reduce the number of incorrectly installed seats, TxDOT is hosting free car seat checks across the state. To schedule a time for an inspection, text "seat" and a local ZIP code to 876526.