Thursday, 4:30 PM
Safety of school buses and vans scrutinized in Boston
By MIchael Levenson, Globe Staff
Boston police and state Registry of Motor Vehicles officials handed out 155 citations yesterday, the most since 2003, during an annual crackdown dubbed "Operation Guardian Angel," in which officials conduct surprise inspections of school buses and vans across the city.
Registrar of Motor Vehicles Anne L. Collins said the violations, which resulted in $5,375 in fines, revealed a "pervasive problem" among the motley fleet of buses, vans and station wagons, as well as their drivers, who are responsible for safely ferrying the city's children to public and private schools and day care centers.
"We're only stopping a small percentage of the vehicles out there and, if this is the number of violations, this is a sign of real trouble," Collins said.
This was the ninth such operation, but the first time inspectors have targeted traditional school buses in addition to station wagons and vans outfitted with yellow "School Bus" signs.
