AN AWARENESS day about the importance of wearing seatbelts was staged as part of the Lancashire Telegraph’s ‘Love Your Kids? Belt Them In!’ campaign.

And the need for the initiative has been underlined once more by another survey which revealed complacent attitudes towards seatbelts.

While the event was being held at Wensley Fold Children’s Centre, Blackburn, staff conducted a survey of 65 passing cars.

And they found that in 80 per cent of them, either the driver or a passenger was not belted in.

The awareness day was held in conjunction with Blackburn with Darwen Casualty Reduction Team, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and the police who gave advice to par-ents.

The initiative was laun-ched with the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety and the Casualty Reduction team after an initial survey revealed 53 per cent of local 10 year-olds did not wear sealtbelts.

Anna Duckworth, Wensley Fold Children’s Centre strategic centre manager, said: “The day was about raising and highlighting the importance of wearing seatbelts.

“I have been in this post since January and I have noticed parents aren’t putting seatbelts on their children.

“They belt themselves in and not their children. It’s shocking.”

Carla Benaron, from the community fire safety team, said: “This is a really important issue.

“Seatbelts can prevent serious injuries in car accidents.

“Firefighters deal with accidents and even at 30mph someone can be seriously injured if they don’t wear a seatbelt.

“It is a serious problem and we need people to put wearing a seatbelt into practice.”

Mum-to-two Irfana Younis, 28, from Blackburn, said: “It is really import-ant to raise awareness with parents.

“It is surprising that people don’t use them.

“There is no way my children would sit down.

“They would be bouncing up and down You have to strap them in.”

Childminder and mum Shenaz Sonvadi, 36, said: “It was fantastic, my daughter is four years old but it is important that she is aware of road safety.”