Local doctor shares how you can ensure your childs safety in the water this summer WSB-TV Channel 2 [Video]

ATLANTA — Pool season is a fun time for the whole family, but it can turn tragic, fast. Drowning deaths are going up in America. Each year, about 4,500 people drown.

Channel 2′s Linda Stouffer spoke to a doctor at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta about how you can protect your children.

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Shelby Hunter’s son is taking swimming lessons at the East Lake YMCA. She says these lessons prepare her children to get in the water safely.

“I wanted him to gain technique. I wanted him to know how,” Mother Shelby Hunter said.

Drowning is the No. 1 cause of death for children ages one through four, according to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The risks of drowning are going up for people of color.

A lack of swim lessons could play a factor in drownings.

Statistics show that 28% of Hispanic adults report having swim lessons compared to 37% of …