Mother turns pain into purpose, reminds drivers to be safe this holiday season

The National Road Safety Foundation urges drivers to plan ahead, says there is a spike in impaired driving during holiday season.

YORKTOWN, Va. — It is the most wonderful time of year but its also one of the most dangerous time of year on the roads. 

This time of year there is usually a spike in crashes that often result in devastation and one Virginia mom is making it her purpose to make sure what happened to her family never happens again.

"I'll never forget when that phone rang, it was the call that no parent ever wants to get," said Tammy Guido McGee. 

 She remembers the night back in 2019 when she lost her 16-year-old son Conner to a driver who never should have been behind the wheel. 

"I knew my son was dead. Call it mother's intuition. I just knew he was dead, and we jumped up and we rushed to the crash site," she said.

"It was like something out of the movies. It was roped off with yellow caution. Um, tape, the fire trucks, the ambulance, the police officers, there were lights and sirens."

She says in a panic, she found a police officer. 

"I rushed to the crash site officer, and I beat at his chest, and I just begged him to please let me go so I could hold my baby for his last breath," said Tammy. 

Conner would be one of three teens who died that night. 

It took Tammy about a year of intense therapy and it was during that time she realized she had a mission. 

"I was just a mom. I'm no different than anybody else watching this broadcast who has a son. I'm just a mom who loves her son, and for me, I had to feel that grief into something positive. It was either lay down and die, you know, or stand up and fight," she said. 

Tammy started the Gweedo Memorial Foundation and travels speaking to teens and adults about staying safe behind the wheel. 

"If I didn't stand up and speak, who would, right? Who's gonna speak for my baby? He's silenced now, but his death doesn't have to be meaningless," said Tammy. 

She says it’s a reminder this holiday season to have fun but to be responsible so what happened to her son doesn’t happen to someone else's child. 

"We want you to have fun, we want you to go to that company Christmas party, we want you to have the white elephant exchange, we want you to have fun, but we want you to be responsible because now, there's so many options to get home safely. You can Uber, you can Lyft, you can call a friend, you can call a taxi," she said. 

Tammy says the driver who slammed into Conner and his friends was another teen who didn’t have a license and was speeding. She said he had bragged about driving on social media. 

That’s why she also says its important that if you see something to say something. It could save a life.