Mother of Virginia teen killed in crash advocates for safer driving: ‘#1 killer of our teens, that we have 100% control over’
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) -Connor’s Law is a Senate bill passed last year to ensure all student drivers are educated on the consequences of distracted driving and have a valid license before getting a school parking pass.
It was created after Connor Guido, a 16-year-old York County teen, was killed the night of his high school homecoming by a distracted driver who didn’t have a license.
Now, Tammy Guido McGee is already working with legislators to create two safe driving bills and is working on a third.
The goal is to save lives by encouraging teens and parents to pay attention while driving, with minimal distractions.
“As a parent or a guardian, if you allow your child to drive without a driver’s license in the state of Virginia, you should be held accountable, so that would come with a misdemeanor offense,” Guido McGee said. “Obviously, we would look down the road for that to change, especially if it included a fatality.”
This effort - is a part of the latest bill McGee is pushing for under Connor’s Law in hopes of saving lives.
Drive Smart Virginia data shows that over 80% of crashes - caused by distracted driving, killing 32 Virginia teenagers between the ages of 15 and 20.
“The number one killer of our teens, that we do have 100% control over, is the one thing we pay the least amount of attention to,” she said.
During National Teen Safe Driving Week, Guido McGee will be traveling to share with thousands of students the importance of telling an adult if someone they know isn’t driving safely. She’s been advocating for safe driving since her 16-year-old son was killed on his homecoming night five years ago.
He was one of three teenagers killed when the teen driving the car he was in wasn’t licensed and lost control of the car while speeding - slamming into a tree.
“If one person would have spoke up about the driver that my son got into the car with, about his reckless bragging, boasting driving on social media - if one person would have spoke up my son would have been here because i could have done something about it,” she said.
Guido McGee encourages parents to download apps like ‘OtoZen’ on their teens' phones to track their driving habits.
“There are great programs out there that will track your teens driving and give you feedback, they’ll tell you what’s been happening in a car that should or not be happening,” she said.
This bill will be discussed with state lawmakers in January’s session.
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