PARENTS taking young children to school in cars face child car seat checks by police.

Officers will be stationed outside Blackburn primary schools to carry out checks.

The move comes as part of a police drive to highlight the dangers inappropriate car seats pose and ensure parents are abiding by the law.

Parents caught flouting the regulations brought in last September will be asked to attend a road safety seminar.

The rules state that children must have appropriate child seats until they reach a height of 4ft 4inches tall or 12 years of age, whichever they reach first.

Sergeant Paul Goodall said: "Child seats give vital protection for babies and small children, as well as making sure older children are as safe as possible when using adult seatbelts. It is crucial to make sure you are using the right seat, for the right car, at the right stage in your child's life."

Clare Waterhouse, road safety manager for Capita, the private comapny which carries out some services for Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "In a crash at 30 mph a child who is not sat in an appropriate seat would be thrown forward with a force up to 30 times their body weight. As well as being thrown about inside the vehicle injuring themselves and others, they are also likely be ejected out of a window.

"Properly fitted car seats not only keep children in their seats, they prevent them from being thrown about inside a vehicle and would also absorb some impact from a crash, making it less likely that the child would be killed or seriously injured."

Sergeant Goodall added: "Undoubtedly the safest way for children to travel in cars is in a child seat that is suitable for their weight and size and I urge parents to ensure they have the correct seat for their child."