What kind of mother drives a car with an infant in their lap? The kind who claims she was avoiding paparazzi, Britney Spears. She was called out by a series of photos showing her driving with her infant child Sean Preston in her lap in the New York Post - NITWIT BRIT ENDANGERS HER BABY. As the bad PR spread across the Internet, Britney's people attempted to defuse the controversy by blaming the photographers - Britney Spears Defends Driving With Baby On Lap

People confirms, via Spears' publicists, that Spears did drive away from a Starbucks with her son Preston in her lap. Here's how she characterizes it:

"Today I had a horrifying, frightful encounter with the paparazzi while I was with my baby. Because of a recent incident when I was trapped in my car without my baby by a throng of paparazzi, I was terrified that this time the physically aggressive paparazzi would put both me and my baby in danger. I instinctively took measures to get my baby and me out of harm's way, but the paparazzi continued to stalk us, and took photos of us which were sold to the media. I love my child and would do anything to protect him."

Check out the rest of the photo series at WWTD or Slave4U, and notice there's a hell of a lot of smiling going on for such a "horrifying, frightful encounter" ...

Update: TMZ reports that the LA County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has contacted the LA County Sheriff's Department, inquiring about Britney driving with her baby on her lap without proper child restraint. LA County Sheriff' Deputy Mark Winn visited the Spears/Federline residence this afternoon to investigate the incident.