Student driver safety bill, prompted by York County crash that killed three teens, passes through General Assembly

The student driver safety bill — House Bill 1918 — that came about as a result of the death in October 2019 of York County high school student Conner Guido and two other teenagers has passed the General Assembly and is awaiting the governor’s signature to become law.

Introduced by Del. Martha H. Mugler, D-Hampton, the legislation specifically requires that “any student who applies to obtain a pass to park a vehicle on school property provide evidence that the student possesses a valid driver’s license or driver privilege card.”

It also requires the state Department of Education to develop a standardized form to be used at high schools throughout the state for on-campus parking. The 10th-grade driver education curriculum would, in the future, also include instruction on the dangers of distracted driving and speeding.

The driver of the vehicle did not have a driver’s license yet was able to obtain a permit to park on school grounds.

Sen. Thomas K. “Tommy” Norment Jr., R-James City, introduced similar legislation in the Senate, but did not initially include the requirement of adding instruction of distracted driving and speeding to the 10th grade curriculum. At the end, Norment had his bill conform with Mugler’s initial legislation.

“Sen. Norment and I agreed that student driver safety was a bipartisan issue and I was happy to work with him to make the roads a safer place for teenagers,” Mugler said.

The initial bills passed the House and Senate unanimously.

“We’ve requested a ceremonial bill signing,” explained Tammy Guido, Conner’s mother, who worked vigorously to get the bill introduced and helped whenever and wherever for its passage.

Earlier this month, she had an opportunity to meet Gov. Ralph Northam at an event at Christopher Newport University.

“I found my way to get in front of him and I talked about the bill,” Guido said. “He expressed interest in what the bill said what good it could do for others. He told me he was looking forward to seeing the bill on his desk.”

For Guido, passage of the bill “is very exciting, but it’s a double-edged sword. There is happiness and comfort in what the bill can accomplish and gives me some sense that he’s living in death, as he did in life — helping other people. But it won’t bring him back.”

The Oct. 26, 2019, single car accident occurred on Yorktown Road about a mile from Tabb High School after the 16-year-olds had left the homecoming dance. State police said excessive speed, lack of driving experience and unfamiliarity with the area caused the crash.

The legislation is the most recent action Guido has undertaken. She worked with the Virginia Department of Transportation to have delineators and curve ahead signs installed. York County officials also coordinated with Dominion Energy to have lights installed at the curve.

written by: Wilford Kale, Virginia Gazette | February 23, 2021 at 3:28PM