I had a recent appointment with my “Five to Go Podcast” co-hosts Devin Kupka and Dan Elliott in Dawsonville at 8 a.m. on a weekday. Forsyth County schools returned on Thursday, August 1st and my commute took me through multiple school zones, at least one of which was on Highway 9. The arterial road had few sidewalks and a brisk speed limit when school zone lights are not illuminated. I could not help but wonder about children and parents that would have to walk to class and how dangerous that must be.

Auto organization AAA does a great job of alerting motorists of dangers both they and pedestrians may face and annually compiles sobering stats on child safety in school zones. The message does not change, nor should it: the faster cars go in school zones, the more lethal they are to children.

That notion sounds like it should be printed in the first chapter of the “Captain Obvious Handbook,” but our actions conjure these reminders. Even those nudges are not enough.

AAA says one in five children, 14 or younger are killed in crashes are pedestrians. They also note that crash chances drastically increase when people roll through stop signs.

Another ostensible no-no that commuters are hammered with is the need to minimize driving-distractions. Drivers’ actions also fail to back up the fact that this is obvious.

Stats from AAA indicate that a driver doubles their chances of crashing when they take their eyes off the road for even two seconds. The temptation to check a text or change a song hangs like a fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden when a hurried driver is stopped behind a school bus or stymied by a carpool line.

As many times as we glance at a device or look down at something else, a crash only requires one distraction. With so many more children now on foot in Metro Atlanta, this reset on our driving priorities is required.

Arguably, the biggest multiplier of danger for school children is the speed of vehicles. AAA reports that children are two-thirds less likely to die when hit at vehicles 25 mph versus just 35 mph. That is drastic and goes great lengths to explain why school zones mandate that passing traffic move at what seems like a snail’s crawl.

Driving at school zone speeds is hard. On that same trip in Forsyth and Dawson Counties, I had to pay much more attention to keeping my speed at the posted limit. In fact, that forced me to drive better in all respects, because I was then paying greater attention. There is no better place to be laser-focused on one’s drive than while in a school zone, though motoring with few distractions is always important.

I volunteer with 11th grade boys at Decatur City Church every week and I even still forget the pitfalls of an under-formed frontal lobe. Apply that filter to how kids behave in and near traffic. Playfulness and complacence can prompt an ill-advised step into the street or an inattentive crossing of a parking lot. If a distracted minor traverses the path of a distracted driver, the one in the 3,000 pound metal shell has a significant advantage.

Teen drivers also need not be forgotten, especially as high school adjourns each day. AAA’s numbers show that one in four fatal crashes with teenagers occurs in those 3-7 p.m. after school-hours.

Keep in mind that, in general, some of the most dangerous times for all commuters are when fast traffic meets delays. Boom. The 3 p.m. hour is one of the trickiest on Atlanta roads.

AAA also recommends to anyone on foot that they do their best to stay on sidewalks and to look before crossing any streets or parking lots. And students on foot should try to make themselves easier to be seen with light clothing or even reflective material on backpacks and especially when walking to bus stops in the dark.

They also encourage students that take buses to get to their stops early, so they are not running and jutting into traffic. Desperation easily breeds disaster.

But the main school zone safety onus, by far and large, remains on those piloting automobiles. Drivers need to stay alert, mind posted speeds in school zones, and come to full stops at every stop sign - including the stop arms on school buses.

The cost of travel time and attention pales in comparison to that of an injury or death - or even a ghastly scare - to any pedestrian in a school zone.

Doug Turnbull, the PM drive Skycopter anchor for Triple Team Traffic on 95.5 WSB, is the Gridlock Guy. Download the Triple Team Traffic Alerts App to hear reports from the WSB Traffic Team automatically when you drive near trouble spots. Contact him at Doug.Turnbull@cmg.com.