This pilot study focused on assessing the safety of children in school zones through automated video analytics as an improvement over legacy exposure-based methods. Three school zones in Southeast Queensland were selected for analysis. This study champions AI-powered video analytics as a game-changer for vulnerable road user safety, particularly children in school zones. Unlike traditional crash and exposure-based methods relying on macroscopic metrics, advanced safety analytics pinpoints the critical conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles, enabling targeted safety interventions.