Just a day into the new school year, five students were injured in an accident.

As the lead story in Thursday's STAR indicated, the accident occurred in Moneague, St Ann, and involved three vehicles. This is a very bad way to begin the academic year and it emphasises the need for caution on our roads.

In any given school year, several students are injured and sometimes, regrettably, killed in motor vehicle accidents. In this case, thankfully, no one was killed, but it could have been much worse.

Though the police will argue that they are trying their best, we believe that much more can be done to deter motorists from unsafe driving habits. While the police could not confirm the allegations, it is believed that speeding, as it is in many cases, was the cause of this accident.

Stronger means of punishment should be meted out to motorists who break the law and this needs to be done in such a way that they are always aware and conscious of the penalties they will face if they are caught.

Whether we like to believe it or not, many motorists think that they can argue their way out of punishment and, therefore, make no real effort to stay within the boundaries of the law or the speed limit, for that matter.

Motorists who are reckless on our roads should not be allowed to escape punishment, and a strong message along this line needs to be sent.