YONKERS, N.Y. Two dozen drivers learned the hard way Wednesday that school is back in session and ignoring safety laws around school-bus stops will not be tolerated in Yonkers.
Yonkers Police issued 24 traffic summonses in an early-morning crackdown that was part of the departments participation in the annual New York AAA "School's Open-Drive Carefully" program.
Most of the tickets were handed to drivers who ignored the flashing red lights of school buses, cruising past the buses as they picked up children, Yonkers Police spokesman Det. Lt. Patrick McCormack said.
The whole purpose is to keep the kids safe, McCormack said. We want to remind motorists that you have to be aware of children and you have to be perceptive to kids on the street.
Police set up the surveillance near a bus stop on the corner of Yonkers Avenue and Prescott Street shortly before 8 a.m. In roughly a one-hour period, officers caught 24 drivers who ignored the safety laws.
In announcing the departments participation in the AAA program earlier this month, Police Commissioner Charles Gardner said it was important that motorists remember to slow down near schools, bus stops and playgrounds and obey lower speed limits in school zones.
We ask motorists to exercise caution on our roadways, particularly in the vicinity of school bus stops, as we begin the start of our school year, Gardner said. Children going to and from school can be preoccupied and not paying attention to their surroundings.
A first-time offender found guilty of passing a stopped school bus with warning lights flashing will have five points put on their driver's license and will be fined between $250 and $400, according to Yonkers Traffic Court. The penalties for repeat offenders are stiffer, the court warns.
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