One person was killed and two others injured in a head-on collision Thursday night 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 collision occurred shortly after 10 p.m. in the 22000 block of Pacific Coast Highway when the driver of a 2019 Mercedes Benz, traveling eastbound, crossed the center median and collided head-on with a 2020 Cadillac SUV traveling westbound, the department said in a statement.
“As a result of the collision, the driver of the Cadillac died at the scene from his injuries,” the statement read. “The passenger of the Cadillac and the driver of the Mercedes Benz were transported to a local hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.”
Both directions of Pacific Coast Highway were closed for hours as authorities investigated the fatal crash. Authorities did not identify the victim and said the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Malibu Mayor Steve Uhring said in a written statement that he was saddened by the tragic loss of life.
“This heartbreaking incident underscores the importance of the City’s ongoing efforts to address safety on Pacific Coast Highway.”
The fatal collision occurred on the same stretch of road where Four Pepperdine students were killed in a traffic accident on October 20, 2023, prompting residents to call on government and law enforcement officials to address the dangers and reckless driving on the popular state highway.
Prosecutors alleged that Fraser Michel Bohm, 22, was speeding when he lost control and crashed into the parked cars where the four students were, killing them. Bohm faces four counts of murder and four counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. Bohm has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Since that fatal accident, a coalition of law enforcement agencies, traffic engineers, Caltrans, and local and state officials formed the PCH Task Force to help make the highway safer from the McClure Tunnel in Santa Monica to the Ventura County line.
Additionally, the City of Malibu declared a local emergency and undertook a series of initiatives in partnership with state officials, transportation and law enforcement agencies to improve traffic safety on its 21-mile stretch of PCH. Initiatives include installing new traffic signals, bringing back California Highway Patrol patrol cars, and launching road projects to create lane separators and synchronize their signal lights to control traffic speeds and reduce congestion.
Malibu officials have also supported state legislation, such as Senate Bill 1297, which will allow the city to participate in a pilot program to install speed cameras that will automatically record drivers who exceed the limit and issue traffic tickets.
The CHP and Sheriff's Department have also conducted several traffic operations to control people exceeding speed limits on the road.
The operations appear to be paying off. Between January and April, the Sheriff's Department recorded a total of 70 collisions, compared to 76 in the same period last year.
Building on that momentum, a coalition of longtime residents, Pepperdine students, city officials and law enforcement officials launched a public safety campaign called “Cruise Malibu – Surf, Sand, Slow” in an effort to help change driving behavior on the road. It was the second public campaign launched in the region.
