The friends had just wrapped up a Monday night football practice and were headed home together when a deadly mistake cost two of them their lives -- and left the third in a hospital bed.

Seventeen-year-old Brice Fabing, 17, was speeding when he lost control of his Saturn, went through a stop sign and slammed into a utility pole, authorities said. His passenger, Michael Terrones, 16, was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. Brice passed away the following day. Another passenger, Darrell Solorio, 17, was seriously injured.

Less than three weeks later, three Santa Maria High School students -- Brittney Neeley, 15, and brothers David, 16, and Daniel Villarreal, 15, lost their lives in a similar crash.

The deadly accidents reflect a pattern that is seen nationwide. Fatal accidents involving teen drivers are typically single-vehicle crashes where the driver is male and is speeding or makes a driving error, or does both, according to driving safety experts.

In Santa Barbara County during the last 12 months, 13 people have died in auto accidents with teenage drivers. All six accidents were single-car crashes with a young man behind the wheel.

Statistics show that the newest drivers are the riskiest. The chance of being in an accident with a 16-year-old driver is double what it is for 18- and 19-year-olds, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

In an effort to cut down the teenage death toll, California lawmakers added tougher requirements for new teenage drivers. Starting Jan. 1, young drivers who have had their provisional licenses for less than a year will be prohibited from driving between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Currently, they're allowed to drive until midnight.

The new law also requires young drivers to have their licenses for one year before driving passengers younger than 20 without an adult over age 25 in the vehicle. The current law allows them to drive with friends after having a license for six months.

The new law raised the minimum age for acquiring a learner's permit to 15 years and six months. It also requires that drivers between 15 and 17 years of age complete a driver's education course before they can get an instruction permit. Now, teens can receive a permit if they enroll in a driver training program.

But safety experts say new laws are not enough. Getting parents involved in their teen's driving is critical. California Highway Patrol Officer Don Clotworthy urges parents to talk to their children about the importance of wearing a seat belt and the risks of speeding.

Steve Morris, a local driving instructor for more than 30 years, says parents also need to put in driving practice time with their kids. Student drivers are required to spend 56 hours on the road before being fully licensed.

When he learned of an Orcutt crash in December that killed three teenagers, the instructor added a mandatory parents' meeting to his teen driver's education program.

For the parent who can't be in the car with the child every second, but would like to be, there are vehicle tracking systems that can monitor how fast teens are driving and where they are going. One product, designed by Omnitrack, can be programmed to designate a speed and area in which the car can be driven. If the driver exceeds the speed or goes outside the boundary, the company would notify the parents by phone, pager, e-mail or fax.

Recent medical studies show that the last part of the brain to mature is the prefrontal cortex. That's the area responsible for impulse control and judgment about the risks and consequences of behavior. It's not fully formed until the late teens or early 20s.

"We could raise the driving age," said Dr. Curren Warf, a pediatrician and specialist in adolescent medicine at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. "This is the leading cause of death for teens, so I think it's a huge area of concern for the safety and well-being of our children."

Dr. Warf said parents also need to understand that their teens "whether they want them to or not, do have to become adults and become independent and learn how to drive and handle a lot of other things."

"Of course, kids are going to make mistakes," said Dr. Warf. "We need to create environments and provide approaches so kids can develop the necessary skills in life, including driving, in the safest way possible."

Dr. Warf also urges parents to spend more time with their kids in the car when they're first learning to drive. He recommends that parents not allow their teens to have their friends in the car when they're first learning to drive.

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