BATON ROUGE - Dr. Mindy Calandro, a local pediatrician and frequent News 2 guest, stopped by the studio Thursday evening with some vital tips for parents concerning car seat safety.

The pediatrician says car accidents are the leading cause of death in children from the age of one up to 13 in the United States.

Dr. Calandro says kids should remain rear-facing until at least two years of age. She says this has been a recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics and major safety groups for the past four years, so it is now standard practice. Unfortunately, Louisiana state law lags well behind in this regard. She says New Jersey just enacted the most progressive car seat law in the country at the beginning of this month, requiring a rear-facing car seat until the age of two.

The pediatrician also strongly cautions against mistakes with buckles. In the attached video, she demonstrates the importance of ensuring things like the chest clip on the seat are in the right place. She says small mistakes with the setup of the seat can have tragic consequences. According to Dr. Calandro, studies estimate that 75 percent of car seats are either installed or used incorrectly. Finally, Calandro points out the importance of making sure the car seat itself is properly secured in the vehicle using the seat belt or latch system (not both) with less than one inch of wiggle.

For more info about car seat safety, be sure to check out the attached video. If you're interested in looking for a car seat inspection site as mentioned by Dr. Calandro, check out www.safercar.gov.