MOTORISTS ferrying youngsters to schools across one part of the Yorkshire Dales were targeted by community safety officers as part of national Road Safety Week.

Members of the Hambleton Community Safety Partnership spent time at eight primary schools in the district checking the speeds of drivers and issuing general advice on how keep children safe - transport to and from school, inconsiderate parking, speeding, mobile phone use and seat belts.

National Road Safety Week - which is organised by road safety charity, Brake - had child pedestrian and cyclist safety as its theme for 2007. Brake believes that children should be able to walk and cycle in their communities without fear of traffic.

The partnership's portable speed matrix signs were left in hot spot areas. Eight drivers who did not heed the initial warnings were issued with speeding tickets and another dozen motorists received verbal warnings.

In addition Police Community Support Officers enlisted schoolchildren to act as junior Road Safety Officers to hand out 'goody bags' packed full of road safety advice to their friends.

"A child is hurt or killed every 18 minutes on our roads - a statistic we have to see reduced," said Partnership Officer, Simon Gibson.

"We visited eight locations last week - in Bedale, Morton on Swale, Ainderby Steeple, Northallerton, Sowerby and Carlton Miniott - and made an impact. We will be out and about at other schools in the future. Ensuring that our children have a safe journey to and from school is a priority for us - and we hope for every parent".

• Picture shows: Carlton Miniott Primary School's junior road safety officers: Rebecca Litster, Daniel Pickles and Charlie Colley are pictured with Kevin Pratt, North Yorkshire County Council's Road Safety and Travel Awareness Officer.