Two crashes on PCH early Friday prompt more safety concerns from residents

Nearly a month after a grisly crash left four Pepperdine University students dead, a pair of crashes on the same stretch of road in Malibu have residents voicing their concerns over the dangers of the Pacific Coast Highway yet again. 

Five people were hospitalized in the crashes this morning, stemming from two different incidents that happened within a quarter mile and less than 45 minutes. 

On Wednesday, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies caught a driver who was hurtling along PCH at 80 miles per hour, nearly twice the 45 mile per hour speed limit where they were pulled over — all just a half a mile from the spot of October's fatal crash that took the lives of Pepperdine seniors Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams. 

Related: Reckless driving continues along Pacific Coast Highway

"Imagine the place that you lived and you walk outside and people are doing 80 miles per hour in front of your house," said Damian Kevitt, the founder of Streets are for Everyone, which works with families who lose loved ones and other community members to crashes on PCH. "Imagine living in that community and how safe you would feel."

He's one of the many people demanding that the iconic stretch of road be made safer. One holdup in that issue though, is that PCH is state run. 

"We're asking that question of, 'How many people have to die before Caltrans finally starts to do their job and look at and implement, really, systemic changes along PCH?.'"

Kevitt is not alone, as hundreds of Malibu residents, along with Mayor Steve Uhring, prepare to speak at a PCH Safety Task Force meeting next week. Along with Uhring, city leaders from Santa Monica and Los Angeles, as well as state officials like Caltrans representatives, will be in attendance.

"There are some sections — Deadman's Curve, Las Flores — where there have been historic, large number of accidents," Uhring said. "We are hoping they can help us improve some of the activity going on there."

He said that while he knows changes can't happen overnight, he's hoping that some sort of step can be taken before even more people lose their lives. 

"The 58 fatalities since 2010 — just 2010 — in the City of Malibu on PCH; 100% of them were preventable."

As it stands, Uhring said that a significant increase in law enforcement patrols has been working, with a notable decrease in speeding in the area. 

KCAL News reached out to Caltrans for comment but has not yet heard back.