Garden City Police Participate in Operation Safe Stop

On March 30 the Garden City Police Department participated in a statewide traffic initiative entitled Operation Safe Stop.

This effort addressed the issue of bus safety, particularly motorists illegally passing a stopped school bus, which is listed as the second leading cause of student transportation fatalities, said Commissioner Ernest Cipullo. The main goal of this initiative was to increase public awareness of the hazards posed by passing stopped school buses.

“Flashing red lights on a stopped school bus means that the bus is picking up or discharging students. It is illegal for any motorist to either pass or overtake a stopped school bus that has its red lights flashing,"Commissioner Cipullo said. "Passing a stopped school bus puts children at risk of serious injury or death.” 

During this initiative, Garden City officers also enforced moving traffic violations in and around bus stop locations and school speed zones.

During Operation Safe Stop, the department coordinated their enforcement efforts with the Garden City School District Transportation Division. This coordination resulted in police officers following selected school buses along their morning and afternoon routes with marked and unmarked police vehicles.

During this initiative, Garden City officers issued traffic tickets for the following violations:

• seven passing stopped school bus violations
• nine speeding in school speed zone violations
• two passing red light violations
• four unsafe lane change/turn violations
• one unlicensed operation violation
• five other moving traffic violations

The first time penalty for illegally passing a stopped school bus is a $385 fine, five points on your license and/or possibly up to 30 days in jail. A second conviction within three years results in a minimum fine of $600 and a third conviction within three years results in a minimum fine of $750.

During this initiative, it was found that many motorists do not know that they have to stop for a school bus flashing its red lights, whether they are passing the school bus from the front or overtaking it from the rear, particularly on divided highways or on school grounds.