Tewksbury Police Participate in Operation Yellow Blitz

(Editor's note: The following information was supplied by the Tewksbury Police Department.)

The week of October 22, 2012 thru October 26, 2012, was National School Bus Safety Week.  For a number of years, during National School Bus Safety Week, the Registry of Motor Vehicles has sponsored OPERATION YELLOW BLITZ. OPERATION YELLOW BLITZ encourages law enforcement organizations to make a concerted effort to identify, document, and educate motorists who pass school buses when the red flashing lights are flashing.

The Tewksbury Police Department, working cooperatively with the Registry of Motor Vehicles and the Tewksbury School Department, assigned a number of officers to participate in the Operation held on Wednesday, October 24, 2012, in the early morning hours.  Officers were assigned to shadow Tewksbury school buses on their morning routes. 

These officers were looking specifically for those motorists who violate the Statute which requires vehicles to come to a complete stop for the flashing red lights on school buses.

This law is Massachusetts General Law Chapter 90 Section 14 which states that all vehicles must stop for a school bus with flashing red lights and not proceed until flashing lights are deactivated.  The penalty for this is $250 for a first offense, $1000 for a 2nd offense (within 2 years is also a 6 month license suspension), $2000 for a 3rd Offense (within 4 years is also a 1 year license suspension).   

The Tewksbury Police Department will continue with its strong commitment to strictly enforce all laws and regulations to ensure that all residents and our streets are safe. Please help us keep our children safe by driving responsibly.