Mother of son killed by drunk driver joins Governor’s task force for safer roads
Tyler Shaw was killed by Exit 1 in Bow when his truck was hit by another vehicle that failed to stop at the end of the Interstate 89 off-ramp. A cross and remembrances were placed near the crash scene on Saturday, May 5, 2018 on Logging Hill Road with exit 1 of I-89 in the backround. GEOFF FORESTER
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Published: 03-26-2025 4:45 PM
Modified: 03-26-2025 10:46 PM |
Beth Shaw spent years pushing for tougher penalties on drunk drivers after a repeat offender killed her son in Bow in 2018.
She’s prepared to again bring her fight and her voice to the state level as a member of Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s new Highway Safety Task Force, an initiative formed in response to road accidents across New Hampshire.
“The laws that are on the books are not working. It’s not impeding drivers or making people think twice,” said Shaw. “I think New Hampshire really needs to get tough on how they react to drunk driving.”
The governor’s new task force will have 34 members who will be working in collaboration with the Office of the Governor and Executive Councilor John Stephen. The task force, led by Department of Safety Commissioner Robert Quinn and Attorney General John Formella, also includes state lawmakers.
Its primary responsibilities will include analyzing accident data, identifying patterns and risk factors and evaluating current laws and enforcement strategies with the mission of developing actionable recommendations to improve highway safety.
The task force will also collaborate with local officials, law enforcement, traffic engineers and community advocates.
“It’s critical that we ensure drivers are safe on our highways and stop these accidents before they happen,” Ayotte said in a statement Wednesday. “Every fatal crash is more than just a statistic — it’s a life lost, a family shattered and a community forever changed.”
A total of 135 people lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes on the state’s roads in 2024, a slight increase from the 130 deaths reported in 2023, according to New Hampshire Department of Safety statistics. In 2022, the number was much higher: 176 fatalities.
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The state has also seen a rise in wrong-way drivers, according to the governor.
Shaw said the state should increase penalties for drunk driving, such as requiring an interlocking system to be permanently installed in a vehicle after a second offense. After a third or fourth offense, she would like to see the driver’s license permanently revoked.
“You can’t change people’s behavior, but you can change how you react to it,” said Shaw. “This one selfish decision that someone makes to drink and drive is a decision. It is a choice. It’s not a mistake.”
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