The mother of a seven-year-old child said she is thankful for seatbelts after they prevented her son from being seriously injured during a car crash last week.

Patricia Basden said her son, who attends the New Sunbeam Nursery in St. David's, was taken to hospital and treated for minor head injuries and released.

Ms Basden explained he was in the nursery van driving along with school mates when a car veered into their lane and struck the van head on.

All of the children were jolted forward, but they received no serious injuries because they were strapped in by seatbelts.

Ms Basden's son, who was sitting in the front row behind the driver, received more force, striking his head on the back of the driver's seat.

Hospital personnel agreed because he was wearing his seatbelt, major injuries were avoided.

Ms Basden said not only does she applaud new legislation requiring motorists to buckle up, she also praised the owner of the nursery, who enforces a mandatory seatbelt policy in her vans.

Sara-Lee Crockwell Smith, owner of the nursery, said the experience was an unpleasant one for the children, however she admitted that it could have been worse.

"The car just struck," she said. "Some of the children were shaken up. But at all times I enforce a seatbelt policy. I have had to special order my vans to come with seatbelts, because they don't come with them - and I'm glad I did. I have signs in all my van's windows that all the children are to be strapped in..."

Chairman of the Road Safety Council, Dr. Joseph Froncioni said he is encouraged to see that the spirit of the legislation is catching on, even though it is not expected to be enacted until this summer.

"This was a situation that illustrates how seatbelts save lives and prevents serious injury," he said.