Saskatchewan police agencies issued more than 400 tickets February 14 and 15 in a traffic safety blitz that targeted intersections.

During the blitz, dubbed Operation Crossroads, officers were on particular alert for motorists and pedestrians committing violations such as failing to yield to pedestrians or oncoming traffic, disobeying stop signs or traffic lights, and jaywalking.

The result of 422 tickets was an increase of approximately 25 per cent over a similar operation in January 2012 during which law enforcement officers ticketed 339 motorists.

The most common violation was disobeying red lights or stop signs at 147 tickets. A further 78 drivers were tagged for speeding while 61 and 53 received citations for seatbelt and cell phone offences respectively. On the pedestrian side, 15 people got tickets for disobeying a walk signal.

Despite stricter cell phone laws that went into effect three years ago, the number of people charged this year was more than double last year’s figure of 20 infractions.

The monthly traffic blitzes are collaborations between law enforcement and SGI. In March 2012, Operation March Madness targeted aggressive driving resulting in 943 tickets being issued.

In last month’s Operation Hang Up, Buckle-Up, police nabbed 168 motorists committing cell phone and seatbelt offences.