THAT using seatbelts saves lives is a fact proven beyond doubt ever since they became compulsory in our cars.

Yet despite this, thousands of East Lancashire drivers and their passengers do not bother. A survey reveals that one in ten are risking death and injury by failing to wear seatbelts.

And, worryingly, many young lives are being endangered. For research by Blackburn with Darwen Council shows that ten per cent of children under 13 don't wear rear seat belts in a car.

This is a particularly serious shortcoming. For these youngsters are at far greater risk. Accident figures show that rear seat passengers not wearing a seatbelt or using a child restraint are three times as likely to suffer death or injury as those who do.

But why are so many running these risks -- and breaking the law in the process -- when the benefits of seatbelt protection are manifest?

Ignorance rather than blind refusal, it seems, lies behind their under-use . And, we are told, this is especially so within Asian communities, where seatbelt usage is markedly low.

In particular, many motorists are unsure of the law regarding carrying children in their cars. And police find that while people will wear seatbelts in the front of the car, many do not feel it is necessary to use rear-seat ones.

In response, the council has joined forces with Lancashire police in a new campaign to promote greater seatbelt use and a similar drive is taking place in the force's Pennine Division covering Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale. It is backed up by a leaflet, published in several languages, explaining the correct use of the belts and who is responsible for them being worn.

The need for this kind of drive is evident from the disturbing level of under-use and if this does not improve uptake, then it should be reinforced by prosecutions.