Police were looking for drivers on their cell phones. So how many got $136 tickets?

Police ticketed 52 drivers for using their cell phones or other electronic devices while on the road earlier this month at Northwest Avenue and Bakerview Road in Bellingham.

Bellingham Police and Whatcom County Sheriff's Office conducted a "distracted driving emphasis" at the intersection on April 6 as part of a statewide focus by law enforcement that will continue through Saturday.

They were back out looking for distracted drivers on Friday, this time along Lakeway Drive and Samish Way.

The enforcement was for Washington’s “Driving Under the Influence of Electronics” law, which began in July.

The first DUI-Electronic ticket costs drivers $136. The second, within five years, is $234.

Law enforcement stopped 85 vehicles on April 6.

They issued 60 tickets — 52 of them were for cell phone/distracted driving, Bellingham Police said Friday on Facebook.

Nearly 1,500 people have been ticketed each month statewide for violating the measure, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

The law bans motorists from holding cell phones or watching videos while driving, stopped in traffic or at a stoplight.

That ban includes laptops, tablets, games or any hand-held electronic device. Hands-free use is restricted to a single touch.

Drivers are three times more likely to crash when talking on the phone, according to the safety commission, and 23 times more likely to crash when texting.

This story was originally published April 13, 2018 at 11:20 AM with the headline "Police were looking for drivers on their cell phones. So how many got $136 tickets?."