Remembering Emily

Family of PCH victim recognized for nonprofit work

May 24, 2024

By John Loesing
With tragedy comes change, the hope for a better tomorrow, and following a difficult, deadly past year comes the promise by public safety officials to improve the safety of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu where multiple lives have been lost due to years of speeding and reckless driving the roadway has been known for.

California senators Allen and Henry Stern earlier this year sponsored SB 1509 in response to the October 2023 death of four Pepperdine University women who were killed by a speeding driver as they walked along PCH. The male driver accused of running into the women has since been charged with manslaughter.

The Malibu City Council declared a local emergency in November 2023 aimed at addressing the risks to public safety posed by reckless and distracted driving on Pacific Coast Highway.

A PCH Taskforce, a coalition of law enforcement, traffic engineers, Caltrans, and local and state elected officials, was created that month to find solutions for making the roadway safer.

Stern and Allen, backed by relatives of the Pepperdine victims, hope conditions on the highway will improve with the advent of Senate Bill 1509 that would add two DMV “negligence” points to the record of any motorist cited for exceeding the speed limit by at least 26 mph.

Every driver starts out with zero points. Infractions cost points, and under the state’s Negligent Operator Treatment System, the higher the point count, the closer you get to the ultimate punishment: a revoked license.

The idea is to keep negligent—make that dangerous—drivers off the road, or at least give them an opportunity to clean up their act.

ARTICLE: https://www.theacorn.com/articles/remembering-emily/