Leaders gather at memorial to honor 4 Pepperdine students who died on PCH in Malibu 1 year ago

To mark the one-year anniversary of four tragic fatalities when Pepperdine University students walking on the shoulder of Pacific Coast Highway were struck by a speeding driver, the city of Malibu held a news conference Friday, Oct. 18, to detail the safety improvements being pursued and put in place since the disaster.

The event held at Ghost Tires Memorial on Pacific Coast Highway at Webb Way drew several elected officials both from Malibu and Sacramento, as well as representatives of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the CHP.

In a prepared statement, Malibu officials said, “While important progress has been made, the city, county, and state agencies are committed to ongoing collaboration to make PCH safer for all roadway users.”

The night before, on Oct. 17, a crowd gathered at a candlelight vigil in honor of the students killed on PCH on Oct. 17, 2023. Pepperdine University seniors Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams were walking on the shoulder of PCH on a short stretch dubbed “Dean Man’s Curve” when they were struck by a car and killed.

The four Alpha Phi sorority sisters, all 20 or 21, were killed when the allegedly speeding driver slammed into several parked cars on the north shoulder of the roadway. Sheriff’s officials said the parked cars struck the four women, killing them at the scene. A fifth student was injured but survived.

The driver, Fraser Michael Bohm, 22, was charged with four counts of murder and four counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.

No safeguards were in place for pedestrians on that stretch of PCH even though the city had known about the dangers for decades, lawyers for the students’ parents allege.

The press conference on Friday focused on state Senate Bill 1297, recently signed into law in Sacramento, that allows speed cameras at critical spots along PCH in Malibu; the creation of a Malibu CHP Task Force; and collaborative operations with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department which officials say have resulted in a 36% drop in accidents that caused injuries.

“Short-term” improvements are being funded through Caltrans, and a longer-term effort will aim to redesign the aging coastal highway. According to a prepared statement that plan “will transform PCH from a high-speed highway into a safer, community-focused corridor, providing safe access for all users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.”

City News Service contributed to this report