Quinton woman fights to get additional legislation passed after death of son
By Robb Johnson | December 15, 2024 11:22 pm
A Quinton resident is continuing to fight for her son, even after his untimely passing.
Tammy McGee lost her son, Conner Guido, on Oct. 26, 2019 in a motor vehicle accident as they returned from a homecoming dance. Conner was one of three young men who died after a BMW driven at a high rate of speed was driven by an unlicensed driver went off the road and hit several trees.
“This should have never happened,” she said in an interview. “The driver was entrusted with a vehicle even though he was underage and unlicensed.”
Since the tragedy, the Quinton resident has sprung into action to make a difference. McGee was entrusted to not have another family suffer through the same grief she experienced.
McGee said social media sites such at www.ifyouseesomethingsaysomething.org have been set-up for people to speak up about things that are wrong but are afraid to do so in a public setting. In the case of her son, McGee felt sick to see people liking the status of the driver of the accident on social media after the driver allegedly bragged about it.
“So many people failed us,” she said. “It should have never happened.”
McGee used her voice to launch legislation in the Virginia General Assembly to close loose ends to prevent tragedies. Her direct impact has launched Conner’s Law House Bill 1918 and Conner’s Second Bill, Senate Bill 78.
Conner’s Law requires driver education programs to include instruction on the dangers of distracted driving and speeding. Students must submit a form that shows evidence that they have a driver’s license before being issued a pass to park a vehicle on high school property. Senate Bill 78 encourages parents to participate in a 90-minute parent and student-driver component as part of the classroom portion of its driver education for all public school divisions.
McGee has now transitioned into working on her next piece of legislation that she hopes to be passed in January 2025. If passed, vehicle owners will be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor if an unlicensed minor operates a vehicle without having a proper license or meeting requirements of Conner’s Law. A Class 1 misdemeanor is subject to a jail term up to 12 months and/or a $2,500 fine.
“I feel like we need to make this legislation,” McGee commented. “I was unable to hold the parents [of the driver in Conner’s accident] accountable in the state of Virginia and I was unable to understand the way the law was written.
“The current bill (1549) has language that I feel is inappropriate,” she added. “The law says that any person who knowingly authorizes a motor vehicle by a person who they know has no operator’s license and who he/she knows has been previously convicted of a driving a motor vehicle without a valid license.”
McGee added that while it’s unlikely for a teenager to be convicted because of their age, she is working on language to hold anybody who knows a teen driver doesn’t have a license accountable.
“People need to be held accountable,” she said. “It does not matter if it’s one, two, or three deaths; one death is one too many.
“Parents need to be held accountable,” McGee added. “We need people to speak up if you are afraid to do so. They need to use resources such as a website. We want people to speak up and enough is enough.”
And while Conner’s death continues to hurt McGee, it has turned into action for her to keep up her fight.
“Five years, five minutes, five days; it’s the same each and every day,” she said as she wrapped up her interview. “We just want to prevent another parent from going through what I have been through.”