As part of “Operation Yellow Blitz,’’ Watertown police issued tickets to seven drivers they said did not yield to school buses.
(Wendy Maeda/ Globe Staff)
Sweep hits drivers who fail to stop for buses
As part of “Operation Yellow Blitz,’’ Watertown police issued tickets to seven drivers they said did not yield to school buses.
(Wendy Maeda/ Globe Staff)
Local police departments across the state were out in force yesterday morning handing out an unpleasant surprise to motorists who failed to stop for school buses as they picked up children: a $250 ticket.
Dubbed “Operation Yellow Blitz,’’ more than 110 cities and towns in Massachusetts set up early-morning or afternoon patrols to coincide with National School Bus Safety Week.
The undercover sting had nabbed 136 drivers statewide yesterday, according to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, which coordinated the operation.
Drivers in Woburn topped the list with 90 violations, followed by 70 in Watertown, and 64 in Reading, according to data provided by the Registry. More than 60 communities did not give out citations.
Now in its fifth year, the effort is part of a push by Governor Deval Patrick’s administration to make drivers more aware that they will face stiff penalties if they flout a state law that requires traffic in both directions to stop when school bus drivers turn on the flashing red lights.
Registry officials gathered on North Beacon and Mt. Auburn streets in Watertown shortly after 7 a.m. yesterday as police pulled over and cited seven drivers for passing a school bus while children were boarding.
Registrar of Motor Vehicles Rachel Kaprielian called the blitz a “powerful deterrent’’ and warned that the agency and police have “zero tolerance.’’
“This is ensuring that people are in fact stopping for school buses,’’ she said. “The cargo inside is too precious.’’
Drivers ticketed by police are hit with a $250 fine for a first offense; a second offense carries a $500 fine and an automatic suspension of a motorist’s driver license for 60 days, said Ann Dufresne, a Registry spokeswoman.
Violators who rack up two citations within a two-year period will be saddled with a $1,000 fine and lose their driving privileges for six months, she said.
Many motorists tell police they are not aware that traffic in both directions must stop for a school bus, not just those traveling behind or in an adjacent lane, Watertown police Sergeant Joseph Deignan said.
Based on complaints reported by bus drivers, police, and other citizens, the Registry has sent out more than 1,800 warning letters to suspected rule breakers this year, Dufresne said. Those who have received two warning letters will be called in for an administrative hearing, she said.
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
