Chief’s Corner
By Chief Steven J. Wojnar Dudley Police Department It is hard to believe that the new school year is nearly upon us. Even though this may be disappointing to some of the students, it is always a good opportunity to emphasize the benefits of good driving behaviors. This is especially important for new drivers. This is a good opportunity to remind everyone of the restrictions on junior operators. A junior operator in Massachusetts is anyone licensed who is under age 18. The major restriction on these individuals is they are not allowed to drive between the hours of 12:30 and 5am. For those people who obtain their license while under age 18, a restriction is in place which limits the presence of passengers in their vehicle. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 90 Section 8 states in part, “ No person holding a junior operator's license shall operate a motor vehicle during the first six months of licensure while a person under 18 years of age, other than the operator or an immediate family member of the operator, is present in such vehicle unless also accompanied by an operator, duly licensed by his state of residence, who is 21 years of age or over, who has had at least one year of driving experience and who is occupying a seat beside the driver…” Immediate family members are considered as mother, father, brother, or sister. The main intent of this law is to limit distractions to inexperienced drivers and prevent accidents. Unfortunately, there have been too many tragic crashes and injures involving young, inexperienced drivers. We hope to prevent these incidents from occurring in the future and educating young drivers is a move in a positive direction. Our officers will be out in areas focusing on traffic violators in order to prevent accidents and encourage voluntary compliance with the traffic laws. |
The Dudley Police Department wants to remind everyone that when school is back in session, there is an increased presence of children on the roadways. As operators, pay attention to these individuals. Always watch your speed and drive defensively. We wish all the students, faculty, and staff a happy, healthy, and safe upcoming school year.
Thanks again for your questions and comments. Please send them to me at the Dudley Police Department 71 West Main St. Dudley, Ma. 01571 or email at swojnar@dudleypolice.com. Opinions expressed in this weekly column are those of Chief Wojnar only and unless clearly noted, do not reflect the ideas or opinions of any other organization or citizen. |
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