Four young men were killed in Chester County, Pennsylvania over the weekend. Their deaths a sad illustration of just how dangerous the roads can be for young drivers – and vice versa.

Police have said the car accident occurred around 1 a.m. Sunday morning in West Brandywine Township, Pennsylvania. Four teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17 were killed in the crash. According to police, the teenagers were driving 73 mph in a 35 mph zone when the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the side of the road. After the crash, marijuana was found in the vehicle. None of the teens were wearing seatbelts, so they were all ejected from the vehicle.

It is very lucky that no one else was hurt in this crash, but it is easy to see how someone could have been. The teen driver was going more than double the speed limit and may have used marijuana before getting behind the wheel. When one behaves that recklessly while driving, it is much more likely someone is going to wind up getting hurt.

There are dueling statistics as to whether teenagers are the most dangerous age group behind the wheel. Regardless, accidents like this show teenagers can be extremely reckless. Naturally, not all teenagers are unsafe drivers, but it is not often you hear about older people behaving as carelessly as these teens did. While it's wrong to stereotype teenagers as driving maniacs, there does seem to be some evidence that as an age group, they need to take safe driving more seriously.

It is sad that the young men died, but it is also fortunate they did not hurt anyone else. If they had, they may have been liable to that person for that person's injuries and injury-related expenses.

Source: NBC Philadelphia, "Pot Found in Car of Chesco Teens After Accident: Cops," Vince Lattanzio and David Chang, 5 July 2011.