A pediatricians group has released new guidelines to prevent drownings ahead of the summer swimming season.
The American Academy of Pediatrics released new recommendations Monday, saying the update addresses "widening disparities in fatal pediatric drowning rates based on race and ethnicity."
The new recommendations come as an 18-year-old reportedly drowned over the weekend on Saturday in Shelter Island, New York, while swimming with friends, according to the Shelter Island Reporter and Shelter Island Police.
ABC News has reached out to Shelter Island Police and Shelter Island EMS for comment.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of death in children between the ages of 1 and 4. About 4,000 people in the U.S. die from drowning each year, the agency states.
Drowning incidents among certain racial groups tend to be higher as well, with Black people under 30 more than 1.5 times as likely to drown as white people under 30, and American Indian and Alaska Native people under 30 twice as likely to drown as their white counterparts, according to the CDC.
The AAP notes that among children and youth, drowning has the highest case-fatality rate, 13%, after firearm injuries.
In the U.S., drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury or death in kids ages 5 through 14 years old, after motor vehicle injuries and deaths, the AAP states.
"Toddlers are at the highest risk of drowning, as they can escape without notice even under the best of circumstances," Dr. Rohit P. Shenoi, lead author of the new recommendations, said in a statement. "Adolescents are also especially vulnerable since they may overestimate their swimming skills, misjudge the seriousness of water hazards, or engage in risky and impulsive behaviors."
The new recommendations highlight six key points for parents and caregivers to keep in mind.