The same was said about teenagers Anthony Farrace, Melissa Oakes, Brendon Hathaway, Angela Hallerud and Maximillian J. Cafone.

Each of those young lives came to a tragic end in auto accidents in Burlington County this year.

Oakes, 17, of Medford and Hathaway, 17, of Pemberton Borough were behind the wheel during their fatal crashes.

Welch, 18, of Moorestown, Hallerud, 14, of Mount Laurel, Cafone, 17, of Mount Holly, Farrace, 17, of Evesham and Messick, 17, of Moorestown were passengers in vehicles driven by fellow teenagers.

The seven are among thousands of teenagers who die each year in auto accidents, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, which lists vehicle accidents as the No. 1 killer of young people across the country.

For Pam Fischer, director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, even one death is enough to spur action.

“It's a tragedy anytime someone dies in an auto accident, but when it's a teenager with their whole life ahead of them, it's even sadder,” Fischer said. “As a parent, it's your worst nightmare to have to bury your own child.”

For the past three months, Fischer has headed up the governor's Teenage Driver Safety Study Commission, a group of officials and volunteers charged with devising new methods to prevent New Jersey teenagers from dying on the roads.

The commission meets every other week to discuss issues related to teenage motor vehicle safety, among them potential changes to the state's graduated driver's license law, driver education and penalties for new drivers. The group is expected to recommend methods to improve safety early next year.

Under New Jersey's current licensing law, students who take six hours of classroom driving instruction can get their learner's permit at age 16. Those who don't must wait until they're 16 years and six months.

At age 17, New Jersey residents can get provisional driver's licenses that allow only one passenger in the car who is not a family member. In addition, provisional drivers cannot drive between midnight and 5 a.m. Unrestricted licenses are issued after a driver has held a provisional license for a year, usually shortly after the driver turns 18.

Fischer said New Jersey's graduated licensing procedures have reduced the number of accidents involving teenagers. However, she said enforcement of the laws and restrictions — particularly restrictions on carrying passengers — is extremely difficult.

Devising a method to identify vehicles driven by provisional drivers is at the top of the list and “will absolutely be one of our recommendations,” Fischer said.

Welch and Cafone both died in vehicles operated by drivers with provisional licenses. Both drivers were in violation of the law because they carried too many passengers in their vehicles at the time of the accidents.

The driver of the vehicle in which Welch died was charged with death by auto, assault by auto, driving while intoxicated and reckless driving. Police have said that accident site was littered with dozens of empty and unopened cans of beer. An investigation continues to determine where the teens got the alcohol and where they were drinking before the crash.

Fischer said teenage drinking and driving is an obvious danger, but said statistics show it is a relatively infrequent factor in teenage traffic accidents. She said driver distraction, speeding and inexperience are the most common causes.

“Obviously, alcohol coupled with inexperience and speed is a lethal combination,' Fischer said in describing the events surrounding the crash that claimed Welch's life. “By all accounts, this was a perfect example of a party on wheels. We need teens to understand that as new drivers, they need to be completely focused on driving.”

Fischer said the identification will likely be a recognizable decal or sticker that will be attached to a vehicle as well as a notation on a vehicle registration. Fischer said a decal is not a cure-all, but could help police officers recognize violators of the provisional-license restrictions.

“We've heard from lots of parents who say they want police to stop their teen if they're doing something wrong under the graduated driver's license law,” she said. “It does have an impact.”

No state currently requires decals for new drivers, but Australia and Canada have done so for several years, Fischer said.

The Ocean County town of Jackson also has started a voluntary program where provisional drivers are identified by stickers. The number of participants was unavailable.

In addition to decals, increasing the amount of behind-the-wheel instruction and practice time is being discussed by the commission panel, Fischer said.

David Weinstein, director of public affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic and a member of the governor's panel, said he believes improving driver education will be a key component.

“(Teenage driving death) is an epidemic. That much becomes more clear with each new crash. And the way to stop an epidemic like this is through education and action,” Weinstein said. “My hope is that the commission can bring about both.”

Burlington County Sheriff Jean Stanfield said her office was recently awarded a grant by the Division of Highway Traffic Safety to educate high school students about motor vehicle safety and defensive driving. As part of the program, she said the department would host a contest by teenagers to create safety videos.

“We're hoping the message will be stronger if it's coming from teenagers themselves,” Stanfield said.

Christy McGowan, victim services advocate for the New Jersey Chapter of Mothers Against Drinking and Driving, said teenagers need to learn about the dangers of underage drinking, rather than just drinking and driving.

“Not drinking and driving is pretty obvious. The message we've been trying to get out now is not to drink period because there are so many things that can happen to a child who is drinking underage,” McGowan said. “The risk of death or injury or rape goes up and up.”

Teenage motor vehicle fatalities in Burlington County during 2007

Maximillian Cafone: The 17-year-old Mount Holly resident was a passenger in a sedan that failed to negotiate a curve and crashed off North Burrs Road in Springfield at 5:22 a.m. Oct. 28. The driver, James Marple, 17, of Westampton, and two other teenage passengers were injured. A state police investigation into the accident is ongoing, including whether alcohol was a factor in the crash. Cafone had attended Rancocas Valley Regional High School.

Anthony Farrace: The 17-year-old Evesham resident died July 6 when a 1997 Mercedes E320 in which he was a passenger crashed into a tree off Route 70 in Southampton at 9:07 a.m.. The driver, a 17-year-old Evesham girl, suffered minor injuries. Farrace had completed his junior year at Cherokee High School.

Angela Hallerud: The 14-year-old Mount Laurel resident was a passenger in a Honda Civic driven by her 17-year-old brother when it collided with a Dodge Durango at the intersection of South Church Street and Cobblestone Drive in Mount Laurel on March 29. Her brother was hospitalized after the crash and survived. The driver of the Dodge was not injured. Hallerud attended Lenape Regional High School.

Brendon Hathaway: The 17-year-old Pemberton Borough resident died April 26 when his car crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer at 3 a.m. at the intersection of Pemberton-Browns Mills Road and Pemberton Parkway in Pemberton Township. A 19-year-old passenger in the vehicle with Hathaway was also injured. Hathaway attended Pemberton Township High School.

Eric Messick: The 17-year-old Moorestown resident was a passenger in a car involved in a three-vehicle accident Dec. 14 on Route 38 in Southampton. The driver of the vehicle that carried Messick, Thomas McCue, 18, of Moorestown, was injured in the crash as were two other drivers involved in the crash, Jesse Johns, 30, of Little Egg Harbor and Brittany Sutton, 20, of Lumberton. Police said the accident occurred at 9:07 p.m. when Johns attempted to pass a vehicle by crossing the double yellow lines in the center of the highway. His vehicle collided head-on with the vehicle carrying McCue and Messick. Messick was a senior at Moorestown High School.

Melissa Oakes: The 17-year-old Medford resident died from injuries sustained Feb. 13 when she lost control of a car she was driving and crashed into a tree off Branin Road in Medford. Oakes attended Shawnee High School.

Evan Welch: The 18-year-old Moorestown resident was a passenger in a car that crashed shortly after midnight Dec. 9 off Garwood Road in Moorestown. The driver, Daniel Friedmann, 18, of Moorestown was charged with death by auto, assault by auto, driving under the influence and reckless driving. Another passenger, a 17-year-old from Moorestown, was hospitalized with injuries that were not life threatening. Welch was a senior at Moorestown High School.