PARENTS are being warned they will face prosecution if their youngsters are not wearing seat belts during the drive to school.

To coincide with a national seat-belt campaign, police in the Richmond area plan to crack down on those mums and dads who do not ensure their youngsters are safely secured.

And those found breaking the law will be liable to fines.

"Many parents take their youngsters to school on their way to work and they may be in the car for only a few hundred yards," said Sergeant Richard O'Neil yesterday.

"But even covering a few hundred yards the dangers are the same as if they were travelling a few hundred miles.

"Putting on a seat belt is a matter of seconds and it really can save lives and over the next month we will be carrying out little operations around schools throughout the Richmond area.

"The message we want to put out to parents is 'make sure your children really do belt up in the back'.