City of Malibu Highlights Safety and Infrastructure Initiatives on Pacific Coast Highway in Honor of the Two-Year Anniversary of Pepperdine Student Tragedy
The City of Malibu participated in a press conference on October 17, 2025, marking two years since the tragic loss of four Pepperdine University students killed by a speeding motorist on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). The event highlighted the safety progress already made in their honor and the measures that lie ahead in the comprehensive effort to improve safety on PCH.
The press conference was followed by a solemn community remembrance event at the Ghost Tires Memorial for the four young women who were lost two years ago. Alongside the family and friends of the students, Malibu City officials joined State officials, law enforcement, and traffic safety advocates to honor the memory of Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams, whose deaths on October 17, 2023 devastated the Malibu community. Their loss, as well as the many lives lost on PCH over the years, have united community members, law enforcement, safety advocates, City, County and State officials to prioritize and invest in making PCH safer to prevent further tragedies.
Malibu Councilmember Doug Stewart commented on the impact of the tragedy, and the progress on PCH safety measures since then: “Two years ago, we lost four bright young women whose lives were full of promise. Their loss changed our community forever, and it also became a turning point. Since that day, Malibu has been united in one purpose: to make PCH safer for everyone. We’ve made real progress, but we’re not done. Every improvement, every law, and every enforcement effort honors their memory by preventing future tragedies.”
Addressing PCH safety is a multilayered initiative that includes support from all layers of government, nonprofit agencies, and the public. The City is working towards solutions that include legislative advocacy, increased enforcement, updated infrastructure, and public education components to ensure a holistic approach to addressing PCH safety. Specific safety achievements to date include:
Legislation - Senator Ben Allen (District 24) discussed Senate Bill (SB) 1297, the landmark legislation co-authored with Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (District 42), allowing automated speed camera systems on PCH in Malibu, which Governor Newsom signed into law on September 27, 2024. Up to 10 cameras in five locations will be installed at high-risk locations on PCH to help reduce speeding and reckless driving. The Use Policy and Impact Report was approved in August 2025, and the equipment procurement and installation is underway, with completion expected in early 2026.
Increased Law Enforcement – The City signed a contract to bring back patrols by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to PCH in Malibu for the first time since the City’s incorporation, with a three-officer Task Force patrolling seven days a week. Together with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) patrols, which also ramped up after the October 17 tragedy, the increased traffic enforcement has resulted in approximately 22% reduction in injury collisions since the tragedy. The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) provided $555,000 in additional funding to LASD, Los Angeles Police Department and Santa Monica Police Department for increased enforcement on PCH. There was a 59% increase in citations written from 2023 to 2025, according to CHP and LASD.
Short-Term PCH Infrastructure Improvement – Quickly after the October 17, 2023 tragedy, Caltrans announced that $4.2 million were approved for multiple short-term safety upgrades to PCH infrastructure, most of which have already been implemented, including lane separators to prevent vehicles from drifting into oncoming traffic or making illegal turns, crosswalk striping at all locations for increased visibility for drivers and pedestrians, more visible road striping, and additional speed limit and curve warning signs.
Long-Term PCH Infrastructure Improvement – Caltrans launched a PCH Master Plan feasibility study to identify priority areas, long-term safety measures, and safer travel options to improve safety on PCH for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users. Input from residents, businesses, and stakeholders are being gathered through multiple meetings, surveys, and an interactive website. The project aims to re-envision PCH from a highway into a safer main street corridor.
City of Malibu Traffic Signal Synchronization Project – The project, which has been seven years in the making, Malibu's largest effort to date to address PCH safety. Construction started in summer 2023 and was completed in September 2025. The project connected traffic signals from Topanga Canyon Blvd to John Tyler Drive, synchronizing them with real-time conditions, centrally controlled by the Caltrans Traffic Management Center. With over 4,000 collisions on PCH in the last decade—many due to speeding and improper turns—this $34.6 million project, funded by County Measure R, will directly address those issues and aid in emergency evacuations. Plans also include installing changeable message signs for emergencies, speed cameras with feedback signs, and systems to trigger red lights when speeding vehicles are detected.
Public Safety Campaigns and Grants – In October 2024, the OTS awarded the City a $87,089 grant to fund a DUI checkpoint and saturation patrols on PCH in Malibu, which the City implemented with LASD this late summer season.
Outreach and Education - The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), Caltrans and the OTS launched a public awareness campaign in May 2024 to support Malibu's PCH safety efforts, including 31 billboards placed along freeways outside Malibu, as well as posters, lawn signs, and social media messages. Additionally, anti-speeding signs were installed along PCH that state “You Speed. You Pay. Go Safely PCH.”
PCH Quickbuild Roundabouts – The City is developing a Pilot project to install Quickbuild roundabouts at El Matador State Beach and Encinal Canyon Road to slow down traffic and increase safety for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists along the 1.5-mile stretch of PCH. Construction is anticipated to start in early 2026.
Lindsey Horvath, Los Angeles County Supervisor for District 3 shared “Today we remember Niamh, Peyton, Asha, and Deslyn, four young women whose lives were taken far too soon. Their loss forever changed this community and strengthened our resolve to make Pacific Coast Highway safer for everyone who travels it. Every life lost to traffic violence is one too many, and every empty chair reminds us what is at stake. Making Pacific Coast Highway safer is a community-wide effort, and I am committed to doing this work together.”
Current data verified by LASD traffic teams over Malibu streets confirmed 154 total collisions in 2025 compared to 357 for all of 2024—a 50 percent decline. The data confirm no fatalities for 2025 which adds urgency and vigilance to enforcement teams approaching the coming holiday season. Two fatal collisions occurred in 2024.
Susan Dueñas, City of Malibu, Public Safety Director said, “We’re thankful to the traffic enforcement officers for their hard work and commitment. They’ve confirmed issuing more than 6,550 citations in 2024, and 5,100 have been issued to date in 2025. We simply need drivers to know that we will continue to prioritize motorist safety in Malibu with a wide variety of operations so that enforcement officers cite drivers who break the law."
Speakers at the event included:
- Bridget Thompson, Roommate and close friends with Niamh, Peyton, Asha, and Deslyn (Opening remarks and emcee)
- Senator Ben Allen, California State Senate
- Lee Habor, Caltrans Representative
- Rep for Supervisor Lindsey Horvath
- Captain Jared I. Perry, CHP West Valley Area
- Captain Dustin Carr, Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department
- Councilmember Doug Stewart, City of Malibu
- Michel Shane, Emily Shane Foundation & Fix PCH
- David Rolston, Father of Niamh Rolston
The speakers discussed the impacts of the tragedy and of the dangers of PCH; outlined the many significant safety and infrastructure improvements implemented on PCH over the past year as well as ongoing and future measures. They also acknowledged the work that remains to be done and reaffirmed their commitment to making lasting improvements to PCH safety.
Michel Shane, creator of The Empty Chair Club road safety campaign and co-founder of the Emily Shane Foundation, has advocated for PCH safety since his daughter Emily, 13, was killed on the highway 15 years ago. "The hardest seat to fill is the one left empty. Two years after losing Niamh, Peyton, Asha, and Deslyn, this highway continues to claim lives. Their memory deserves more than our sadness — it demands action."
Damian Kevitt, Fix PCH and Founder of Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE), announced a GoFundMe campaign to raise $32,000 for a permanent memorial at Point Dume in Malibu commemorating Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams. For more information, and to donate, visit the website. He shared “It's been known for over a decade that PCH through Malibu is a dangerous stretch of road, yet the dangers were ignored till four beautiful young lives were taken on October 17, 2023. As we look back on that tragedy and think about how many lives have been lost on this stretch, we need to double down on efforts, some of which are underway, to ensure that something like this NEVER happens again."
David Rolston, father or Niamh Rolston, commented: “When Niamh was killed, a number of people reached out to us to offer advice and support. Damian Kevitt and Michel Shane were two of the first to do so, and through SAFE and the Emily Shane Foundation, they've demonstrated their unwavering commitment to realize a vision for Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, as a road that provides safe passage for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, and a time when no families will have to mourn the death of a loved one on PCH.”
Timothy Spivey, D.Min, Vice President for Spiritual Life at Pepperdine University commented: “Our hearts at Pepperdine remain tender as we remember and honor the lives of Niamh, Peyton, Asha, and Deslyn—four extraordinary young women whose light continues to shine in our community. Their faith, friendship, and joy still inspire us daily. We support the ongoing efforts to make Pacific Coast Highway safer for everyone, ensuring that their memory moves us toward lasting change and greater care for human life."
For more information about Malibu’s fight for a safer PCH, including press releases, documents and statistics, visit the webpage.
Event photos can be found here (more to be added): Two-Year Anniversary of Pepperdine Student Tragedy.