FRESH survey results today reveal the true extent of the shockingly complacent attitudes towards seatbelts in East Lancashire.

Yesterday the Lancashire Telegraph joined forces with road safety groups to launch Love Your Kids? Belt Them In!

The campaign is urging parents to ensure their children wear seatbelts, and came after a survey of local children in the top year of primary found 53per cent were not belted in.

Today results from a survey of GCSE students in East Lancashire reveal that the problem gets worse as kids get older.

A shocking 79.4per cent of 15 and 16-year-olds do not wear seatbelts.

The findings underline the urgent need to get the message across to parents.

Claire Waterhouse, casualty reduction manager for Blackburn with Darwen Casualty Reduction Team, which carried out the survey, said: “We are aware the number is high and we are working to change attitudes, but we were shocked at the high percentage that were not wearing seatbelts.

“This could be to do with peer pressure and bravado.

“With the younger children, our main concern was children in that age range are quite compliant.

"They want to be seen to be law abiding and to do the right thing, and this is why we were so surprised.

“A lot of collisions happen within a mile radius of home.

“We need to get the message across that seatbelts should be worn on every journey, however long or short.”

Love Your Kids? Belt Them In! aims to raise awareness so parents, carers and motorists belt themselves, and any children, in for every car journey.

It will also educate pupils across East Lancashire through schools, promote the law surrounding seatbelts, and help people understand how to choose, and fit, child car and booster seats correctly.

The Lancashire Telegraph joined forces with the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety and the Blackburn with Darwen Casualty Reduction Team for the campaign.

Together we will run educational roadshows, the first of which takes place today, outside Blackburn Town Hall, from 11am to 3pm.

There will be a crash vehicle on the scene, the fire service, police, the casualty reduction team, and the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety.

The campaign will go also into schools and community centres to get the belt-up message across.

The Lancashire Telegraph will also accompany police as officers stage special crackdown days during which they will carry out spot checks on passing vehicles.