According to recent surveys, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol is on the rise. There is no difference between drunk driving and carrying illegal weapons. Both threaten the safety of the public.

The government should clamp down on such reckless behaviour. The police should set up more checkpoints at night when drunk driving is most common.

Drivers who are caught should be handed serious punishment, including hefty fines and jail terms.

In addition, the government should launch an educational campaign for young people.

Talks and fairs could be held at schools about the dangers posed by driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. The earlier people get this message, the better.

We need to take prompt action.

Jensen Ho Chun-ho, The Chinese Foundation Secondary School

E-books have several disadvantages

Many Hong Kong schools have started to use electronic books. They help make lessons more interactive, which might make more students interested in learning. But there are several drawbacks to using e-books instead of traditional textbooks.

Reading e-books for a long period of time is bad for students' eyes. Bad eyesight can affect their co-ordination.

Another reason is that reading text on tablets and laptops may be a distraction. Rather than focusing on their lessons, some students may be tempted to start playing computer games or turn to Facebook or Twitter.

Moreover, e-books can be so expensive that not every family can afford them. That means e-books can increase the financial burden on families. Besides, to read e-books, you need to have expensive electronic devices.

Technology is constantly improving. No doubt, using electronic books instead of traditional textbooks will be a popular trend in future.

But students should be taught to use e-books properly. Parents and schools could encourage them to make use of electronic devices efficiently.

Priscilla Chan Wai-fan, Leung Shek Chee College

Chinglish is all around us

We use Chinglish every day, we hear people using Chinglish every day, and we see people writing Chinglish every day. What is the cause of this widespread use of Chinglish?

Maybe convenience is one of the reasons. For example, Chinese is not allowed during English lessons in some schools, so students simply resort to Chinglish.

However, the main reason is a lack of education. On the mainland, you often see Chinglish expressions on public signs. Mainlanders that speak little or no English will only translate Chinese sentences wrongly into English.

Meanwhile, we in Hong Kong create new Chinglish expressions non-stop. Often there is no English equivalent for such vocabulary so they cannot directly be translated into proper English.

Overall, I think we should use Chinglish sparingly.

Tong Wai-tsun, SKH Lam Woo Memorial Secondary School

Respect for the elderly 'a must'

Elderly people deserve respect. They have contributed a lot towards society. Yet we often hear of cases when elderly people are abused or neglected.

According to a recent news report, a man had removed his elderly mother's quilt and turned on a fan at high speed while she was asleep after she had refused to lend him money.

An elderly man on the mainland was abandoned by his sons. He broke both his legs in a fall.

Such callous neglect of elderly people is unacceptable.

We need to do more to ensure that elderly people suffer no abuse. The government should crack down on people who abuse them.

Schools should also educate their students about the need to respect and look after elderly people. Let's remember that we, too, will grow old one day.

Lam Ying-hei, Our Lady of the Rosary College