The City of South Bend is considering an ordinance that would take serious steps toward punishing distracted drivers.

The bill would repeal a city law prohibiting using a handheld device like a smart phone in school zones, and replaces it with one that prohibits drivers from using any device on any roadway.

The city’s efforts to make the streets more friendly to bikes and pedestrians have put a spotlight on the need to eliminate distracted driving.

The bill claims distracted driving has increased crashes, but the St. Joseph County FACT team says they have not responded to any serious or fatal crashes where the cause was a driver on their phone.

A public hearing is scheduled for August 12.