One dead and two injured in head-on collision on PCH in Malibu

One person died 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 collision occurred shortly after 10 p.m. in the 22000 block of Pacific Coast Highway when the driver of a 2019 Mercedes Benz traveling east crossed the median and collided head-on with a westbound 2020 Cadillac SUV, a department statement said.

“As a result of the collision, the driver of the Cadillac succumbed to his injuries at the scene,” the statement said. “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 the Pacific Coast Highway were closed for hours while authorities investigated the fatal crash. Authorities did not identify the victim and said the cause of the accident was still under investigation.

The fatal accident occurred on the same stretch of road where four Pepperdine students were killed in a road accident in October 2023, prompting local residents to call on the government and law enforcement agencies to crack down on dangerous and reckless driving on the popular state highway.

Prosecutors allege that 22-year-old Fraser Michel Bohm was speeding when he lost control of his car and crashed into parked cars on which the four students were standing, killing them. Bohm is charged with four counts of murder and four counts of involuntary manslaughter. Bohm has pleaded not guilty.

Since that fatal accident, a coalition of law enforcement, traffic engineers, Caltrans, and local and state officials formed the PCH Taskforce to make the highway safer from the McClure Tunnel in Santa Monica to the Ventura County line.

In addition, the City of Malibu has declared a state of emergency and, in collaboration with state agencies and traffic and law enforcement officials, has launched a series of initiatives to improve traffic safety on its 21-mile stretch of Pacific Highway. Measures include the installation of new traffic signs, the resumption of patrols by the California Highway Patrol, and road construction projects to create lane dividers and synchronize traffic lights to control traffic speeds and reduce congestion.

Malibu authorities also support state legislation such as Senate Bill 1297, which would allow the city to participate in a pilot program to install radar devices that automatically record and ticket speeding drivers.

The CHP and Sheriff’s Department also conducted several traffic operations to combat speeding on the highway.

The measures appear to be helping. 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 this momentum, a coalition of longtime residents, Pepperdine students, city and police officials launched a public safety campaign called “Cruise Malibu – Surf, Sand, Slow” to change driving behavior on the road. It was the second public safety campaign launched in the region.