Malibu adds dedicated traffic patrol following series of violent crashes
A dedicated task force will patrol the dangerous portion of the Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu after public pressure continued to mount following a series of violent crashes.
The new traffic enforcement team will consist of three California Highway Patrol officers and will last for at least two years. It will cost the city about $2 million. The deal marks the culmination of work following the tragic crash that killed four Pepperdine University students in October 2023.
Seniors Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams died after 22-year-old Frazier Michael Bohm allegedly crashed into them at over 104 mph.
The tragedy highlighted the dangerous conditions on the historic thoroughfare, prompting the city declare a local state of emergency to determine a solution.
In 2015, a study by the California Office of Traffic Safety showed that 130 improvements needed to be made to this area of PCH. The community also started a group called "Fix PCH" to advocate for increased fines and lower speed limits, among other changes.
"We have been screaming and shouting to fix PCH forever — long before me. It's enough," Michael Shane said, whose daughter died in a crash in 2010.
On Jan. 13, the CHP carried out a traffic enforcement operation, issuing 78 citations in one day:
- 63 for speeding
- six for seatbelt violations
- two unsafe turn violations
- one stop sign violation
- one cellphone violation
- five equipment violations