The most dangerous time for a child walking home from school isn’t the morning rush. It’s the afternoon, after the bell rings, according to federal traffic data.
What’s happening: AAA is holding events across Georgia this week urging drivers to slow down near schools and in neighborhoods as students head back to class. Today’s stop is Harlem Middle School, 424 Hawes Branch Parkway, at 10 a.m.
What the data shows: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that 64% of child pedestrians killed in traffic crashes in 2024 were struck on weekdays, with the highest risk coming in the afternoon hours after school.
What this means for you: Drivers in Columbia County and across the state should expect more children on foot near schools and in neighborhoods starting this week. Georgia law requires drivers to stop for school buses with flashing red lights, and school zones carry reduced speed limits.
The path forward: AAA’s statewide campaign runs through July 31. The group has held the annual awareness push every year since 1946.
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
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- B.T. Clark
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