Jun 5, 2008 10:29 am US/Eastern
Police Crack Down On Safety In School Van Sting
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
Boston police and Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicle safety inspectors launched a school van sting Thursday in an effort to crack down on child transportation vehicles that are operating with violations, putting passengers at risk.
The sting is part of the 10th annual Operation Guardian Angel program in which police and inspectors pull over and inspect 7-D vans and station wagons on their way to schools and day care centers to drop the children off.
Police said in the past these stings have revealed numerous violations such as improper restraint of toddlers, over-crowding and unlicensed operators.
Currently, more than 40 states ban school students from being driven to and from school in both 12 and 15 passenger vans. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued repeated safety warnings specifically about 15-passenger vans because of their high propensity to roll over if overloaded.
Last year, WBZ's I-team did a report on individual Massachusetts cities deciding to ban these types of vans on their own.
Read:
I-Team: Schools Using Vans Banned In Most States
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