A Virginia mother is urging parents to talk with their teens about safe driving this holiday weekend. Her son, Connor, passed away at 16 in an accident.

Author: Sarah Beth Guevara

Published: 12:41 PM EDT September 5, 2026

Updated: 12:41 PM EDT September 5, 2026

WASHINGTON — As teenagers enjoy their long weekend, a Virginia mother is urging parents to talk with their teenagers about safe driving for their children and their passengers. 

"After my only son Connor was killed in his single-car crash, we found out the driver was unlicensed. He was underage. He'd been given the keys to a high-performance BMW by his parents," said Teen safe driving advocate and Gweedo Memorial Foundation founder, Tammy Guido McGee. "Teenagers watched and saw his social media behavior and reckless driving. But then we had adults who witnessed it at the homecoming football game the night before the crash, where he was doing donuts."

McGee created a website that collects anonymous tips so teens can share their concerns without "worrying about being a rat or a snitch, but you can use your voice to help save someone else's life." 

"There are so many things nowadays that we have to be concerned about when we're behind the wheel, and most importantly, we need to understand that we're driving a lethal weapon," said McGee. She said parents don't have to reinvent the wheel to talk with their children about driving safely. 

The 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day are considered the deadliest of the year for teen drivers, according to the National Road Safety Foundation (NRSF). Officials said to talk to teenagers and new drivers about staying focused, speaking up if a passenger feels uncomfortable, wearing a seatbelt, and to never drive under the influence. 

Every year, more than 11,000 people die in crashes nationwide because they were not wearing their seat belts, according to NRSF. 

"The very sad thing that about this message is it's preventable, and we're not preventing it," said McGee. 

"The number one thing that parents can do is to get involved. Have the difficult conversations. The work's already been done for you. You go to the [National Road Safety Foundation website], look up the tips and the tricks and the conversations that you can have with your teenagers, but we can't do that for you. We need you to sit down and have those difficult conversations. Take their phone away. You're the parent. We want you to parent," said McGee.