BEIJING, Feb. 10(Xinhuanet)-- Britney Spears came under fire this week after she was photographed driving her SUV with her infant son perched on her lap without a seat belt.

    "I made a mistake and so it is what it is, I guess," Spears tells "Access Hollywood" in an interview that was to air Thursday.

    But the 24-year-old pop star blamed the paparazzi who took the pictures Monday, saying she was trying to escape their harassment in what she called a "horrifying, frightful encounter."

    "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," Spears said in a statement.

    X17, the photo agency that snapped the shots, denied Spears' account, claiming the pictures were taken "in a very peaceful context, in which photographers exhibited no aggressive behavior."

    Several photos published Tuesday showed Spears driving her sport utility vehicle in Malibu, Calif., with her 4-month-old son perched on her lap rather than strapped into a car seat in the back seat. State law says children must be in car seats in the back of vehicles.

    Sean Preston, who was born in September, is Spears' first child. She is married to Kevin Federline, a former backup dancer .

    The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has said it won't pursue any charges.

    (Agencies)