One teen killed and another one in jail

"We see it happen all too often," says Robert Lehman, spokesman with the California Highway Patrol.

Teenagers, who're not supposed to be drinking alcohol in the first place, get inebriated, behind the wheel, and cause fatal accidents.

It happened again this weekend, when Carmel Valley 18-year-old Ryan Armstrong was the driver of a Jeep that careened off Tassajara Road late Saturday, killing 19-year-old Keenan Lucero. If you missed the story, you can read it here.

A prominent athlete, Lucero was remembered by his classmates and fellow athletes at a football practice Monday.

One promising teen dead, another one likely to be charged with felony drunken driving and vehicular manslaughter charges.

It's beyond sad. Incomprehensible. And completely avoidable.

Once again, the CHP is reminding parents of their free "Start Smart" classes, which addresses traffic safety issues for new drivers. Start Smart speaks directly to the newly licensed drivers and their parents/guardians. This program entails collision avoidance techniques, collision causing elements, driver responsibilities, a number of testimonials from parents whose children have perished in collisions, and local area traffic collision trends.

The next class is scheduled for 6 p.m., August 23 at the CHP Monterey Area office, 960 E. Blanco Road, Salinas.

The Class is free of charge and parents/guardians are asked to attend with their teenage driver. For more information or to reserve your seat, contact Officer Robert Lehman, at (831)796-2130.

If the class is not a possibility for you, consider just having "talk" with your teen. Yes, they're at the age when they hate talks, but a talk won't kill them. Next time, when they're about to get in a car with a drunk driver, maybe your words will resonate with your child and they'll think twice about it.