BEND, OR -- Bend Police will conduct concentrated distracted driving enforcement in two areas, Thursday. Between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., officers will focus traffic patrols on SE 9th and Wilson and SW Simpson and Columbia.

In Oregon, driving while using a mobile device is illegal; that includes holding a phone in your hand, even on speaker phone. Drivers 18 and older are allowed to talk on a cell phone using a hands-free device. 

A first-time offense could lead to a $265 ticket. 

UPDATE: During Thursday's three-hour Distracted Driving Enforcement operation, Bend Police made 73 stops, mostly for drivers using their cell phones. Of those, 36 were issued a citation for driving while using their cell phone, five were issued citations for other violations. Another 11 were issued warnings for cell phone use and five more were issued warnings for other violations. Nine officers were involved in the detail.