Young drivers will have to hang up cell phones when they get behind the wheel under legislation Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine signed into law Friday.

The measure prohibits 16- and 17-year-olds with conditional licenses from using phones while driving. If they have an emergency requiring a phone call, the teen must pull off the road or into a parking lot.

“I believe this is a common-sense restriction on those new drivers who may be tempted to pay more attention to phone calls and text messages than the road, endangering themselves and other drivers,” Kaine said. Sen. Jay O’Brien, R-Fairfax, spent three years trying to get the ban through the legislature and to Kaine’s desk. An increasing number of crashes involving drivers distracted by cell phones made the difference this year, O’Brien said.

“Legislators have seen in their district that needless cell phone use causes senseless accidents and fatalities,” he said. “You think [teens] are invincible, but they have to understand they need to hang up the cell phone when they are learning to drive.”

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Kaine also signed legislation allowing localities to install cameras at intersections to catch red-light runners. Local governments would decide whether to use the cameras in their jurisdictions and would have to install signs within 500 feet of the intersections informing motorists of the cameras’ presence. The violations are considered civil, so the transgression will not appear on a driver’s record, and fines are limited to $50. Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax County, Fairfax City, Falls Church and Vienna stopped using the cameras in 2005 when lawmakers failed to pass legislation reauthorizing the devices.

“This legislation allows local law enforcement to determine if, and where, cameras might help improve highway safety,” Kaine said. “The research indicates this enforcement tool will help increase traffic flow, reduce accidents and save lives.”

Just as O’Brien needed multiple years to convince legislators to pass the cell phone restrictions, Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, R-Vienna, reintroduced the red-light legislation for several years before it passed both chambers in February.

jrogalsky@dcexaminer.com