We can be thankful that the accident outside Pegasus School at Blackbird Leys, Oxford, was not more serious than it was.

Children scattered just in time yesterday when a car ploughed through the school fence and hit a tree, close to where they were sitting.

Fortunately, neither the two occupants of the car nor any pupils were injured.

But no doubt the school will be anxious to learn if there are any lessons to be learned from this accident.

Early indications are that the car went out of control after hitting a road hump.

Was it human error? Was the car faulty? Is there anything wrong with the design of the road?

These are questions that will need to be answered to avoid a repetition.

The accident might also harden opinion on whether 20mph speed limits should be imposed outside schools.