After losing son in fatal crash, York County mom pushes for safer teen driving laws

The bill encourages behind-the-wheel training at all Virginia high schools, and Senate Bill 750 would hold accountable people who allow unlicensed teens to drive.

Author: Eugene Daniel (WVEC), 13News Now Staff

Published: 11:11 AM EST January 24, 2025

Updated: 11:11 AM EST January 24, 2025

YORK COUNTY, Va. — A Hampton Roads mother who lost her son in a car crash is pushing Virginia lawmakers to pass safer teen driving laws.

Tammy Guido McGee is lobbying hard for state lawmakers to help teens drive safer in the commonwealth. 

"There are too many needless deaths on our roadways due to unlicensed drivers, " said McGee. 

National Passenger Safety Week is observed on January 20-27, 2025, and aims to empower passengers to promote safety awareness on the roads and shares concerns about reckless driving. 

McGee, of York County, is advocating for two legislative bills in the Virginia General Assembly. 

Sen. Danny Diggs (R - York) is sponsoring Senate Bill 750, the bill seeks accountability for people who knowingly allows minors without a valid driver's license to operate a motor vehicle. 

"Certainly, we don't want to have to prosecute anyone, but we want it to be a deterrent," said McGee. 

Her son, Conner Guido, is one of three 16-year-old students who died in a crash on Yorktown Road after leaving the Tabb High School homecoming dance on October 16, 2019.  Police later determined the teen driver was speeding and did not have a license. 

Since then, McGee has become a fierce advocate for teen driver safety, including launching the Gweedo Memorial Foundation to educate young drivers and their parents on the dangers of destructive driving decisions. She's also helped pass two prior bills into law related to keeping teens safe on the roads, with one of them, "Conner's Law," named after her son. 

Last year, the Governor's Highway Safety Association honored her with the 2024 Peter O'Rourke Special Achievement Award for her work in preventing traffic crashes. 

"This is the time I get to spend with Conner as if he would have been here," she told 13News Now's Eugene Daniel. "And I'm with him now to save lives." 

Right now, McGee is also advocating for House Bill 2213, which aims to improve driver's education courses at Virginia high schools. The bill "strongly encourages each school board to offer as part of its program of driver education behind-the-wheel training either during school hours or before or after school hours, including on weekends."

McGee said 36 school divisions, including several in the Hampton Roads area, do not offer such training. 

"As part of driver's education, you really only have two choices," she said. "Either wait until you are 18 because you can't afford the cost, or you're going to drive without a license, and that's not okay." 

She said driving is one of the key skills teenagers learn that they will use for the rest of their lives, and it is important to teach safe habits early. 

"A non-distracted teen driver will become a non-distracted adult driver," she said.