State, County & Malibu officials & law enforcement Announce 'Go Safely PCH' Education Campaign

State, County and Malibu officials and law enforcement held a press conference to announce the "Go Safely PCH" driver education campaign May 8 at the site of the Ghost Tires Memorial commemorating the nearly 60 people who have lost their lives on PCH in the last 10 years, as well new traffic safety improvements on PCH.

PRESS CONFERENCE PHOTOS

From left:Douglas Young, California Highway Patrol (CHP) Assistant Chief, Southern Division; Toks Omishakin, Secretary, California State Transportation Administration (CalSTA); Lindsey P. Horvath, Chair, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors; Malibu City Manager Steve McClary; Barbara Rooney, Director, California Office of Traffic Safety (Cal OTS); Malibu Councilmember Paul Grisanti; Tony Tavares, Director, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans); Malibu Councilmember Marianne Riggins; Santa Monica Mayor Phil Brock; Malibu Councilmember Bruce Silverstein; Malibu Mayor Steve Uhring.

Mayor Steve Uhring addressing the media.

GO SAFELY PCH DRIVER EDUCATION CAMPAIGN

The campaign is meant to raise awareness and change driver behavior to make PCH in Malibu safer. Officials announced actions being taken at the state and local level to reduce deaths and serious injuries on PCH and make it safer for residents, pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. Speakers included Toks Omishakin, Secretary, California State Transportation Administration (CalSTA); Lindsey P. Horvath, Chair, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors; Barbara Rooney, Director, California Office of Traffic Safety (Cal OTS); Douglas Young, California Highway Patrol (CHP) Assistant Chief, Southern Division; Tony Tavares, Director, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans); Steve Uhring, Mayor, City of Malibu.

For decades, PCH safety has been a top priority for Malibu. The City Council declared a local state of emergency to address the increasingly dangerous conditions on the highway, culminating in the tragic deaths of four Pepperdine University students struck by a speeding driver while walking along PCH in October 2023.

The CalSTA and Cal OTS campaign includes 31 billboards placed along freeways outside Malibu, as well posters, lawn signs, and social media advertising. The officials and law enforcement attending the press conference signed the pledge wall, making a commitment to do their part to slow down and drive safely as part of the collective effort to make PCH safer.

See the GoSafelyPCH campaign website.

Take the online pledge to commit to slowing down and driving safely on PCH.

For more details about the GoSafelyPCH campaign, see the press release.

For more information about the City's efforts to address PCH safety, visit the webpage.

PCH SAFETY UPGRADES:

• Caltrans is investing $4.2 million for multiple safety upgrades to PCH infrastructure, 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 more speed limit and curve warning signs.

INCREASED ENFORCEMENT:

• Beginning in January, the City approved a long-term contract with the CHP to add three full-time officers to help the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) with traffic enforcement on PCH in Malibu for the first time since 1991. CHP officers issued more than 1,200 citations through April, more than 1,000 of which were for speeding.
• CalOTS provided $555,000 in additional funding to LASD, Los Angeles Police Department and Santa Monica Police Department for increased enforcement on PCH.

GO SAFELY PCH CAMPAIGN SOCIAL MEDIA GRAPHIC
See the GoSafelyPCH campaign website

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