By Chief 

Steven J. Wojnar

Dudley Police 

Department

 

It is hard to believe that back to school time is nearly upon us.  This is always a good opportunity to emphasize the benefits of good driving behaviors, especially for new drivers.  One item I wanted to address was the restrictions on junior operators. 

A junior operator in Massachusetts is anyone licensed who is under age 18.  There are a few major restrictions on these individuals.  One is they are not allowed to drive between the hours of 12:30 am and 5 am.  Another critical restriction for these operators 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 can be considered as mother, father, brother, or sister.  The intent of this law is to limit distractions to inexperienced drivers and prevent accidents.  Violations of these restrictions are civil or criminal in nature and can result in fines and suspension of your license.  

Unfortunately, there have been too many tragic accidents 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 to prevent accidents and encourage voluntary compliance with the traffic laws. 

In addition to exercising safe driving practices, we want to remind everyone that back to school means an increased presence of children and busses on the roadways.  As operators, pay particular attention to these situations and always watch your speed and drive defensively.  The Dudley Police Department wishes all the students, faculty, and staff a happy and healthy upcoming school year.  

For those still seeking vaccination or COVID related information, it can be found at www.dudleyma.gov or by calling 508-949-8036.  During these challenging times, we, at the Dudley Police Department, greatly appreciate the support we receive from our community.  

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 [email protected].  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.