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Posted by: DeputyFife

Published: 10/24/2007
Police put brakes on school-bus-passing violators
By Paul Leighton
Staff writer



BEVERLY - When driver Al Hicks pulls his school bus to a stop, he turns on the flashing yellow lights, two in the front and two in the back.
Then he turns on the flashing red lights, two in the front and two in the back.

Then he opens the bus door, which automatically extends a red stop sign with two flashing lights.
If you're keeping score at home, that's 10 flashing lights and a red stop sign. Which to some drivers means ... absolutely nothing.
"It's amazing how many people are driving around with their head in the clouds or talking on the cell phone and don't see the school bus lights flashing in front of them," Hicks said. "It's an everyday affair."
As police discovered yesterday, Hicks' description is right on target. In a two-hour morning patrol designed to remind drivers of the laws regarding school buses, Beverly police wrote five tickets that carry $250 fines and also gave out two written warnings.
The special patrol was conducted as part of the third annual "Operation Yellow Blitz" campaign promoted by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles during National Bus Safety Week.
More than 30 police departments in the state took part, according to the Registry. The five tickets handed out by Beverly police tied Marshfield for the most among departments that had reported their figures by yesterday afternoon, Registry spokeswoman Ann Dufresne said. Police found no violations in 17 communities, she said. "We're trying to educate the public more than punish them," said Sgt. Joseph Shairs, the traffic officer for the Beverly Police Department. "In the morning I know people are in a hurry to get to work, but the safety of children is paramount."
State law requires vehicles on both sides of the road to stop for stopped school buses, in order to ensure the safety of children getting on and off. Drivers must also stay at least 100 feet behind moving buses.
In Beverly, police worked with the school transportation department to identify "trouble spots" where bus drivers have noticed past violations. Starting at 7 a.m., three unmarked police cruisers followed three buses on their morning routes, and three marked cruisers stayed out of sight waiting to flag down any offenders.
Police issued five tickets and one warning to drivers who failed to stop for buses and one warning to a driver following a bus too closely. The driver was within 5 to 10 feet of the bus's rear bumper, Shairs said.

"We're not going to get out there with a tape measure, but the law is designed to avoid rear-end collisions, and the rear door on buses is a safety escape for children," he said.
Shairs said some people seem to be unaware that they must stop for a stopped bus even if they are driving on the opposite side of the street.
If police don't happen to spot a violation, that doesn't mean drivers are off the hook. Shairs said Beverly school bus drivers reported 157 instances of drivers failing to stop during the 2006-07 school year. The drivers file complaint forms with the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
Dufresne said Registry officials send warning letters to the owners of the vehicles. If they are repeat offenders, they are called in for a hearing and can have their license suspended, she said.
Shairs said Beverly police will continue to conduct school bus patrols at various intervals, both in the morning and afternoon, in an effort to keep the school bus traffic laws in the public's mind.
Hicks, who has been driving a regular bus route in Beverly for seven years, said he appreciates the help.
"I'm hoping this will wake people up," he said.

Bus stops
Beverly police yesterday issued five tickets and two written warnings to drivers at these locations:
* Brimbal Avenue and Herrick Street Extension - written warning for following a school bus too closely
* Bridge Street and Virginia Avenue - $250 fine for passing a stopped school bus
* Hart Street - written warning for passing a stopped school bus
* River Street and Margin Street - $250 fine for passing stopped school bus; vehicle towed when police discovered it was unregistered
* Colon Street - $250 fine for passing stopped school bus outside Briscoe Middle School
* Dodge Street and Tozer Road - $250 fine for passing stopped school bus
* Sohier Road - $250 fine for passing stopped school bus near high school

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Posted by: kwflatbed

'Yellow Blitz' Bags Drivers Not Stopping For Buses

Dawn Hasbrouck
Reporting

(WBZ) WALTHAM They're hard to miss -- those flashing red lights and big "stop" signs on local school buses, but some drivers continue to ride around them while bus drivers pick up and drop off students.

On Tuesday, police set out to put a stop to it during an operation they call "Yellow Blitz."

"It makes me nervous," said one concerned mother. "I wish people would stop."

But many drivers don't, so they got a wake up call from the Registry of Motor Vehicles and police in 30 communities across Massachusetts during operation Yellow Blitz.

In Waltham, three drivers didn't know the rules. "You made a left turn out of Stearns Hill Road in front of the bus and you passed it as the kids were getting on," said Bill Wentworth of the Waltham Police Department.

That violation earned the driver a $250 ticket.

But police can't be everywhere. If a school bus driver or someone from the Registry of Motor Vehicles sees you pass a stopped school bus, you'll get a letter in the mail. If you do it again, you'll be called in for a hearing at which your license could be suspended or revoked.

"All year long we take these complaints and we do act on them," said Anne Collins, who broke down the numbers for WBZ.

In 2005, the RMV wrote down license plate numbers and issued 1,748 first offense warning letters. In 2006, 2,326 and this year so far, 1,535 first offense warning letters have been sent out. "Buses are huge and the kids are small. We have to absolutely make sure that motorists know... Never pass a school bus with the red lights flashing."

Parents hope this lesson doesn't pass people by. "Any kid could run out... Any kid could run to the side of the bus... The front of the bus... You never know. So you have to stop," said Karina Black.

Police were stationed at 30 different locations in the Boston area. The good news: no violations were reported at 17 of those spots. Officers at other locations handed out a total of 32 violations.

http://wbztv.com/topstories/local_story_297103419.html

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