There’s a saying that goes, “Live fast, die young” and speed-related car accidents are the best example of it.

A young man in Southern California was killed in a fatal rollover crash when his vehicle veered off the freeway.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the deceased, 19-year old David Alejandro Garcia of North Hills was driving at a high rate of speed when he made a westbound turn to 118 Freeway.

Allegedly, Garcia drove his 2008 Toyota Scion off the east side of the road and it rolled over several times while falling down the embankment.

Garcia was killed immediately because he was not wearing a seatbelt and got ejected from the vehicle.

There are many factors to consider in what may have caused this fatal accident – from speeding, to teen driving, and to even the victim’s failure to wear a seatbelt, these are all known causes of motor vehicle crashes and deaths.

While speeding appears to be the primary culprit for the crash, the root cause of it can be traced to the teen driver. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 13-19 year-old males and females in the United States. Teenage drivers particularly especially male teens, are a recognized road hazard. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 2 out of every 3 teenagers killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2009 were males.

Immaturity and lack of experience aside, young male drivers, are also more likely to be guilty of driving too aggressively, speeding, failing to follow traffic rules and signals and even drunk driving.

Aside from reckless and negligent operation of vehicles, teens are actually less likely to wear seatbelts. In 2009, belt use for fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers aged 16-19 years old are only at 41 percent. It’s worse among fatally injured 16-19 year-old passengers who buckle up at a mere rate of 29 percent.

Taking all of these into account, it’s not really a surprise why more teens die in car crashes than any other age group. If you’re a parent, you can educate and inculcate values of safe driving in your teens to help keep them safe on the road. But if your child gets into an accident, you may be held liable for civil damages so you should seek the services of a car accident attorney.