Two California Highway Patrol enforcement periods cracking down on distracted driving resulted in more than 600 tickets been issued in the Central Valley.

The first crackdown was dubbed “Operation No Cell Phones Around Schools" and was conducted between Aug. 25-29 During the operation CHP officers issued 172 citations to motorists caught talking on their cell phones, 19 tickets for drivers who were texting, and 32 citations for other distracted driving behaviors.

The second crackdown was “Operation Cell Free Friday, Saturday, and Sunday" and took place over Labor Day weekend. Officers issued 305 citations to motorists talking on their cell phones, 39 citations for driving and texting, seven tickets to drivers under 18 years caught talking on their cell phones, and 54 citations for other distracted driving behavior. The CHP also made two driving under the influence arrests of people who were stopped for talking on their phones and found to be driving while intoxicated.

The funding for both operations was from a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Traffic Safety Administration.