DRIVERS are being urged belt up and slow down, in a bid to help keep Pembrokeshire’s children safe.

Supported by Pembrokeshire County Council’s road safety team, GoSafe’s ‘20mph Rule Outside Schools’ campaign is teaching motorists the importance of watching their speed near schools.

Chris Hume, Partnership Manager at GoSafe, said failure to stick to the speed limit put children's lives at risk.

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) travelling at 20mph instead of 30mph reduces the chance of a fatal injury when someone is hit by a car from 20 per cent to just 2.5 per cent.

As part of the campaign, speed enforcement vans will be travelling around the county over the next three weeks.

Accompanied by mascot Ziggy the Zebra, the county council’s road safety team has also been visiting local schools to promote a new national seatbelt safety campaign.

It is the driver's responsibility to ensure that children under the age of 14 years are restrained correctly in accordance with the law

“Research has shown that the use of child restraints can make a big contribution to reducing the severity of road accident injuries,” said Councillor Rob Lewis, cabinet member for transportation.

“A child under the age of four is 10 times more likely to be killed in a car crash if unrestrained.

“That’s why wearing a seatbelt is not a matter of choice but something everyone must do.”

For a copy of The Good Egg Guide to child in-car safety, email road.safety@pembrokeshire.gov.uk or telephone 01437 775144.