NORFOLK, Va. — Deadly crashes typically spike in summer, according to traffic safety experts. That's as more inexperienced, young drivers hit the roads and more impaired people drive after summer events.
Tammy Gweedo McGee knows the impact.
“My baby was gone in the blink of an eye because of the careless actions of a driver," McGee said.
Her son Conner was killed in a car crash along Yorktown Road in 2019. He was just 16.
“He was being scouted to play soccer, he had a great GPA, wonderful friends, a girlfriend. He had his whole life in front of him,” she said.
Conner had been a passenger in a car full of teens. Investigators later found that the driver, another teen, had been unlicensed and speeding.
“They only had one mile down the road to go and they only made it 500 yards before he lost control of the vehicle," McGee recalled.
Other families know similar pain too.
The CDC reports that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the U.S. Those deaths increase between Memorial Day and Labor Day, according to AAA. That's why AAA dubs the time period the "100 Deadliest Days of Summer." DMV statistics reveal that last Memorial Day weekend alone, 19 people were killed and 860 were injured in more than 1,500 crashes in Virginia.
McGee said that these kinds of tragedies are 100 percent preventable.
“What you don't want to be is me,” she said.
Since Conner's death, she's become an advocate — even helping change the law. This year, she helped pass legislation that makes it so if you knowingly allow someone to drive without a license, you can be held accountable.
She emphasized the importance of conversing with your kids about safety on the roads too.
“This is not just the Virginia Department of Transportation's problem. It's not just Virginia DMV's problem. It's everybody's problem. Everybody is responsible for transportation safety," said McGee.
Through Tuesday, there's a 757 Sober Ride 2025 Memorial Day Campaign. For information on how to get a sober ride during this Memorial Day weekend, click here.
On Tuesday, the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office is hosting a 100 Safest Days of Summer event to promote safe driving. That event's May 27 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and it will include lawmakers, law enforcement, schools, nonprofits, businesses and community activists sharing about how to prevent crashes.
For more information on the 100 Safest Days of Summer initiative click here.
For more information on Tammy McGee's personal story, advocacy work and resources click here. And click here for a link to her anonymous reporting tool IfYouSeeSomethingSaySomething.
