One person was killed and two others were injured Thursday night in a head-on collision on a stretch of road in Malibu that has become increasingly dangerous in recent years, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The department said in a statement that the crash occurred just after 10 p.m. in the 22000 block of Pacific Coast Highway when the driver of a 2019 Mercedes-Benz traveling eastbound crossed the median and collided with a vehicle heading toward A 2020 Cadillac SUV traveling west collided head-on.
“As a result of the collision, the driver of the Cadillac succumbed to his injuries at the scene,” the statement read. “The passenger of the Cadillac and the driver of the Mercedes Benz were transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.”
The Pacific Coast Highway was closed in both directions for several hours while authorities investigated the fatal crash. Authorities did not identify the victim and said the cause of the crash remained under investigation.
The fatal collision occurred on the same stretch of road Four Pepperdine students killed The traffic accident in October 2023 prompted residents to call on government and law enforcement officials to address dangerous and reckless driving on this popular national highway.
Prosecutors said 22-year-old Fraser Michel Bohm lost control while speeding and struck a parked car where four students were standing, killing them. Bohm faces four counts of murder and four counts of gross negligence vehicular manslaughter. Bohm has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Since that fatal crash, a coalition of law enforcement agencies, traffic engineers, Caltrans, local and state officials formed the PCH Task Force to help secure the passage from the McClure Tunnel in Santa Monica to the Ventura County line highways are safer.
Additionally, the City of Malibu declared a local state of emergency and implemented a series of initiatives in partnership with state officials, transportation and law enforcement agencies to improve road safety on its 21-mile PCH segment. Those efforts include installing new traffic signs, resuming California Highway Patrol patrols, and initiating road projects to create lane dividers and synchronized signals to control traffic speeds and reduce congestion.
Malibu officials also support state legislation such as Senate Bill 1297, which would allow the city to participate in a pilot program to install speed cameras that would automatically record and issue traffic tickets to speeding drivers.
The CHP and Sheriff’s Department are also conducting a number of traffic operations to target people speeding on the highways.
These actions seem to help. The Sheriff’s Department recorded 70 collisions between January and April, compared with 76 during the same period last year.
Building on that momentum, a coalition of longtime residents, Pepperdine University students, city and law enforcement officials launched a public safety campaign called “Cruise Malibu – Surf, Beach, Slow.” Helping change driving behavior on the road. This is the second public campaign launched in the region.
