Tammy Guido McGee has suffered the worst nightmare a parent could experience. Now, she is using that grief to keep others from the same fate.
Her son, Connor, was killed in a car crash in Oct. 2019, as a passenger in a car that was traveling at a high rate of speed after leaving Tabb High School’s homecoming dance. The driver had only a learner’s permit yet was given a school parking permit.
A bill, carried by Del. Martha Mugler in the House and supported by Sen. Tommy Normet, is a uniform state-wide approach for the Virginia Department of Education’s driver education program emphasizing the dangers of distracted driving and drunk driving.
The bill also includes wording that prohibits Virginia public schools from issuing school parking permits to students without a driver’s license.
The bill is on Gov. Ralph Northam’s desk awaiting his signature. while volunteering at a COVID vaccination clinic last month, McGee encountered the governor visiting the clinic. She made a point of speaking to him about the bill.
Once the bill is law, she plans to visit other states and support a national effort.
In order to prevent other teen tragedies, she recently created a website for teens to report peers who are potentially a danger to themselves and others. The website www.ifyouseesomethingsaysomething.org allows teens to report anonymously. She had her son’s car wrapped with the website’s logo to create awareness. More than 100 teens have reported bullying, drug abuse and other problems.
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