Recent statistics show that car accidents continue to be the leading cause of death for children 4 and older. However, child safety seats reduce the risk of death by 28% and the risk of injury by over 70%. Help your child stay safe by following these guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

• Ensure car seats are installed properly.
• Make sure a car seat cannot be moved more than 1-inch from side to side or front to back when grasped at the bottom of the seat near the seat belt.
• Keep infants and toddlers in rear-facing car seats until a child is 2 years old or reaches the manufacturerandrsquo;s weight or height limit for the car seat.
• Use a forward-facing car seat for most children 2 to 4 years old.
• Use a belt-positioning booster seat for children over 4 years old until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age.
• Ensure that all children - who have outgrown a booster seat – use lap-shoulder seat belts.
• Donandrsquo;t allow children under 13 years old to ride in the front seat.
• Delay car and booster seat transitions until your child has fully reached the maximum height or weight limit for that seat.

Baxter Regional Medical Center has a variety of car seats available at no cost, with specially trained installers on staff. To schedule an appointment to have a car seat installed, call the Trauma Center at (870) 508-1151.

A free car seat check/distribution event co-sponsored by Mountain Home Police Department, AR Hwy. Safety Office, and Dimensions - Child Passenger Safety Program is scheduled for Saturday, April 12 from 9 a.m. to noon at Home Depot in Mountain Home.