Va. mom turns son’s legacy into legislation pushing for better teen driving laws
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) -
Published: Jan. 21, 2025 at 6:13 PM EST
A Virginia mother is gaining support for three new bills that will hold parents accountable if they allow their unlicensed child behind the wheel.
On Oct. 26, 2019, 16-year-old Conner Guido was leaving his junior homecoming dance with two classmates.
“They only had to go one mile down the road. They only made it 500 feet, and that was it,” Tammy McGee, Conner’s mom, said.
The driver, who didn’t have a license, was driving 70 mph in a 40 mph zone when he lost control of the vehicle.
“Ran off the road, hit a tree, and he killed all three occupants that night. Three boys lost their lives because someone allowed him to drive without a license,” she said.
McGee said the driver had been driving to and from school for weeks with just a learner’s permit.
“What happened to those three boys should not have happened,” McGee said.
McGee is turning her son’s legacy into legislation by bringing three bills to state lawmakers.
House Bill 1549 and Senate Bill 750 prohibit anyone from knowingly allowing a minor to operate a vehicle without a license. State law already prohibits this, but McGee said it’s easy for attorneys to interpret the language differently. She said these bills are more concise.
“This piece of legislation is making it absolutely crystal clear, if you know and allow a teen driver to drive outside of the rules for teen driving in Virginia, you can and will be held accountable from now on,” McGee said.
The bills are getting support from lawmakers like Del. Chad Green and Sen. JD Diggs, who are carrying the bills.
“We’re trying to prevent having tragedies like this from happening again,” Green said.
“Will make it known to parents, ‘Hey, this not only unacceptable to do and dangerous but that you can be held accountable.’ And now that it’s a class one misdemeanor, you can go to jail and be fined,” Diggs said.
McGee is also working to pass House Bill 2213. This bill aims to make driver’s education more accessible throughout the state and encourages schools to offer it during school hours, before, after and on weekends.
The K-12 education subcommittee heard the bill on Tuesday.
McGee said she still feels the loss of her son every day but hopes these bills can save the lives of others.
“He’s not here. He’s not coming back. He’ll never give me grandchildren. But I’m able to use his tragedy to help other people and that does make me happy that maybe another mother won’t be me,” she said.
McGee also has a website that allows teenagers to report any dangerous or suspicious behaviors they see anonymously.
Copyright 2025 WWBT. All rights reserved.