YORKTOWN, Va. — Heading into the summer months, the 100 deadliest days for teens is now underway.
According to AAA, about a third of deadly crashes involve teen drivers between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
The dangers for young people behind the wheel is something Tammy Gweedo-Mcgee knows all too well.
A memorial still lies near this roadway in Yorktown, 4 years later, to remember Connor Gweedo.
"It's a daily struggle and I suspect it will be that way for the rest of my life," said Tammy Gweedo-Mcgee, who lost her son in a reckless driving crash.
The pain of losing a child will never go away for Tammy. Her son was a star athlete at Tabb High School in Yorktown and was passionate about soccer and track.
But the night of October 26, 2019, took a turn for the worse.
"Homecoming for us was anything but a pleasant evening in 2019," said Mcgee.
After the homecoming dance, her son got into a car with two friends as they headed to an after party, driving east on Yorktown road.
"When they hit that curve he lost control and ran off the road. Hit a tree, flipped the car, and killed all three of them," said Mcgee. "It's very unfortunate that he had to lose his life in such a needless and preventable way."
The investigation by Virginia State Police revealed the 16-year-old driver was unlicensed, speeding and driving a high-performance car. According to AAA, traffic crashes are a leading cause of death for teens ages 16 to 19.
"With 100 deadliest days that start from memorial day to labor day is when we will lose the highest number of teenagers here in the U.S and certainly here in Hampton Roads," said Mcgee.
We know that anything can happen when you sit behind the wheel, but now that school is letting out teens will spend more time driving on the road, and often at odd hours of the day and night according to AAA. Mcgee says that one bad decision 4 years ago is still impacting her family today.
"If telling our tragedy will help save another life that’s what I’m going to do," said Mcgee.
AAA is urging parents to model safe driving behavior and be involved in their teens learning process. They also suggests it’s 25 hour online driving course to help reduce a teen’s risk behind the wheel.
AAA suggests the following tips for parents:
- Eliminate trips without purpose. Limit teens’ driving to essential trips and only with parental permission for at least the first year of driving. Teens have three times as many fatal crashes as other drivers, based on the number of miles driven. The risk is even higher, during the first year of solo driving.
- Limit passengers. Crash rates increase with each additional teen passenger in the vehicle. In fact, fatal crash rates for 16- to 19-year-olds increase fivefold when two or more teen passengers are present versus when teens drive alone. Parents should establish passenger limits for their teen drivers. In Virginia only one teen passenger under the age of 21 (not including family members) is allowed during the first year of solo driving.
- Restrict night driving. A teen driver’s risk of being involved in a deadly crash doubles at night. Many parents limit driving during the highest-risk late night hours (between midnight and 5 am) but may want to consider limiting evening driving as well, as more than half of nighttime crashes occur between 9 p.m. and midnight.
- Teach your teens how to drive. Summer offers the perfect opportunity for teens to practice driving and to gain experience through parent-supervised driving practice. Parents can share their wisdom and experience accumulated over many years of driving. Even after a teen has a license that allows solo driving, parents and teens should continue to practice ‘commentary driving’ to help teens manage increasingly more complex and challenging driving conditions.
- Establish a parent-teen driving agreement. Written agreements help set and enforce clear rules about night driving, passengers, access to the car, and more. AAA offers a parent-teen driving agreement on its website [ace.aaa.com].
- Be there. Make sure your teen knows that if they need help, advice, or a ride, they can count on you. Extend this offer often and let your teen know that you are always available and encourage them to call you should they need your help.
