A safety blitz on Friday near Overlanders Bridge resulted in 19 charges being laid, Staff Sgt. Grant Learned said Monday.

Thirteen charges were for distracted driving using a cellphone and six were for not wearing a seatbelt. One vehicle was impounded for mechanical defects.

"Back in 2010 the RCMP here in Kamloops issued 249 violation tickets for driving on cellphones and between June 2011 and February 2012 of this year there were a total of 412 tickets issued for distracted driving," Learned said.

He noted that many drivers use their cellphones while at an intersection.

"This is still illegal."

Statistics show that in 2011, 48 per cent of 125 fatal crashes in the Lower Mainland were caused by distracted driving, he added.

"Sixty innocent individuals lost their lives simply because drivers were not paying attention."

Police will continue to target the area around Summit Drive north of McGill because of the continuing problem of people cutting across four lanes of traffic to get to and from TRU.

People caught jaywalking will be subject to fines, Learned said.

"It's not about being punitive. It's about keeping the public safe."