WASCO, Calif. -- Three teens died Wednesday in a head-on crash on Highway 46 just west of Wasco.

The driver of a Toyota Corolla was traveling at a high-rate of speed when he tried to pass slower traffic and ended up losing control, according to the California Highway Patrol. The Corolla crashed into a pickup, killing all three occupants of the car.

The coroner's office identified the deceased as Steven Dub, 19, of South San Francisco; Kayla Shepard, 19, of Brentwood; and Hilary-Kendall Fix, 19, of Northridge.

The pickup's driver, 29-year-old Richard M. Picanso, of Tulare, was taken to Kern Medical Center with minor injuries, according to the CHP.

The crash propelled both vehicles to the side of the road, so traffic was unaffected.

This was the second deadly head-on crash on Hwy. 46 in less than a week. On Friday, four people, including an infant, died and another person was severely injured in a head-on crash east of Highway 33, which was also blamed on unsafe passing.

The highway is a primary route to the central coast. Numerous crashes along 46 in the past have earned it the nickname "blood alley," though the section of 46 involved in Wednesday's crash isn't considered to be part of "blood alley."