“Live fast, die young.”

For 21-year old John Avinger who is driving his Cadillac SRX at a high rate of speed, the proverb was proved to be tragically true.

According to the California Highway Patrol, Avinger lost control of his car while driving fast at the carpool lane and he veered across all lanes before striking the sound wall along the on-ramp.

The crash sent the car flipping over and the driver got ejected and was killed immediately. A 20-year old passenger, Brandon Baker survived the crash with moderate facial trauma and lacerations and was taken to the Western Medical Center.

The CHP is still investigating the cause of the crash.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, more men die in motor vehicle crashes compared to women and usually because men engage in more risky driving behavior such as not wearing a seatbelt, speeding and drunk-driving.

Although the cause of the crash is still under investigation, all three may have been a factor in the fatal crash which killed Avinger. He also happened to belong to the age group of male drivers (21-24 years old) who had the highest fatality rate.

Speeding alone is already a leading cause of car crashes but if you add alcohol and immaturity to the mix, the consequences are often fatal. Wearing a seatbelt may have been the only thing that could have saved Avinger’s life but failing that, he got thrown out of the vehicle and killed.

Drunk, speeding or reckless and/or negligent drivers can be held liable for any injuries incurred by the other party who got in involved in an accident.

Drivers, when they drive, owe a duty of care in operating their vehicle and the violation of DUI laws and speeding laws often places the presumption of negligence upon the drunk or speeding driver.

Living fast may seem exciting but usually, the risks that comes along with it is not worth losing your life over.

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In San Diego, a truck ran off the ravine when its 75-year old driver mistakenly hit the gas instead of the brake.

It fell 200 feet down the ravine through thick vegetation before landing on its roof. The truck’s 77-year old passenger managed to get out of the vehicle but the elderly driver was trapped and unconscious. The driver was extricated by rescuers and was airlifted to the hospital.

The 77-year old passenger allegedly told authorities that his friend had a bad hip. Park Ranger Noel Adams also said that the driver told her he had a bad foot.

San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Maurice Luque said that the two old men were wearing their seatbelts which saved them from getting thrown out of the truck.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, people aged 70 years and older represented approximately 12 percent of the driving age population and about 10 percent of all drivers in the US.

The Federal Highway Administration reported that there were more than 20 million licensed drivers 70 and older in 2007.

While elderly drivers are involved less in fatal car crashes than teenagers, there were still 4,598 people above 70 years old who died in motor vehicle crashes back in 2007. An elderly driver’s physical, cognitive, and visual abilities may decline as they advance in age.

It is impossible to generalize that like drunk drivers, all older drivers are potential road risks. Some elderly drivers are in excellent shape while some, like the 75-year old driver who drove his truck have certain physical limitations that may impair their driving skills.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles has a Mature Driver Program which is an eight hour course for drivers 55 years old and older. It covers a variety of topics of special interest to the mature driver and some insurance providers offer discounts for elderly drivers who complete the class and receive a completion certificate.

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