The streetscape is changing dramatically next week, especially for morning and afternoon commuters whose trips to and from work will coincide with school opening and closing hours.

Yes, as of Tuesday, school's not out anymore.

The streets will be filled with excited youngsters eager to get to class and crack the books- well, for many of them the eagerness may be more about getting back into the social routine that school offers.

And the fun and frolic of that social routine often starts on the way to school - creating a potential for distraction that, mixed with traffic, can prove deadly. Indeed, the distraction of friendly banter on the roadside coupled with the propensity for drivers to fall into distraction has taken far too many young lives.

And the worst news is that that deadly combination of distractions is getting worse, at least on the drivers' side of the equation.

ICBC reports that driver distraction has grown to become the third biggest killer on B.C. roads, claiming 94 lives in the province each year.

With kids starting school next week, pedestrian traffic will increase exponentially, as will vehicle traffic driven by parents dropping their children off and picking them up around school hours.

If you are still foolish enough to disobey the laws that make use of cellphones illegal while driving (incidentally, while not yet illegal, research has determined that using hands-free devices is just as dangerous as handheld), now's a good time to smarten up. You may save a child's life, even if you don't have much regard for your own.

And just imagine how you might feel about the fun and convenience of texting, after your wandering attention causes your car to veer into a group of laughing children.