Alumna Bridget Thompson (’24) starts off the press conference at the Ghost Tire Memorial on Oct. 17 by sharing heartfelt remarks about her late best friends and roommates. Thompson introduced each speaker throughout the conference. Photos by Haylie Ross
Speed cameras, roundabouts and an increase of citations on Pacific Coast Highway are all a result of the advocacy that followed the fatal crash that took the lives of four Pepperdine seniors two years ago.
A press conference at the Pacific Coast Highway Ghost Tire Memorial was held 2:30 p.m. Oct. 17, the second anniversary of the crash, to honor the memory of Pepperdine seniors Asha Weir, Deslyn Williams, Niamh Rolston and Peyton Stewart and report on efforts to make the roadway safer. The press conference preceded the remembrance event held at the same location at 4 p.m.
Bridget Thompson, roommate and close friend of the girls, and Niamh’s father David Rolston shared memories and stories of the four women. The conference served as a memorial for the girls and an update on the greater movement they started on PCH, said Jared Perry, captain of California Highway Patrol West Valley Area.
“Together we honor the memory of those we lost not only with words, but with action,” Perry said.
Updates came from friends and parents of the girls as well as local and state officials. Speakers included Malibu Councilmember Doug Stewart, who released a date for the completion of the automated speed cameras, and Dustin Carr, captain of the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department, who said there has been a significant decrease in traffic collisions since last year. Michel Shane, father of Emily Shane, reminded the community that with all of this progress, the community must avoid complacency.
No Pepperdine officials spoke at the press conference, but the University “worked closely with the program coordinator” to provide students for a musical piece for the remembrance event, a University official confirmed in a Oct. 17 email to the Graphic. University officials in attendance included Chief Operating Officer Nicolle Taylor, Heidi Bernard, director of community engagement for Integrated Marketing Communications, and Britanny Skinner, associate dean for Student Affairs.
Upcoming Changes on PCH
As Stewart took the podium, he shared a story about passing Senate Bill 1297, which authorizes the installation of speed cameras in Malibu.
Doug Stewart says Bridget Thompson is to thank for a lot of the change that is seen on PCH during the press conference at the Ghost Tire Memorial on Oct. 17. Stewart shared updates on what Malibu City Council has done and plans to do to make a safer PCH.
Stewart reflected on the time two years ago when all plans seemed to fail when getting the bill passed. Stewart said Malibu City Council turned to the women’s best friend.
Thompson agreed to speak to state officials on the matter, and Stewart said the result is something he will never forget.
“In three minutes she [Thompson] took that committee from being listeners to committed promoters of speed cameras for Malibu,” Stewart said.
After Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law Sept. 27, Stewart had an update at the conference.
“I am pleased to announce those cameras will be up and running in early 2026,” Stewart said.
This is not the only safety improvement that will be coming to the stretch of road in the near future, Caltrans representative Lee Haber said.
Lee Haber from Caltrans shares what changes were made on PCH since the fatal crash two years ago at the press conference at the Ghost Tire Memorial on Oct. 17. Haber informed the community about the upcoming roundabouts on PCH.
The City of Malibu is continuing the process in coordination with Caltrans with the proposed two quick-build roundabouts on PCH, Haber said. The pilot project plans to install temporary roundabouts at PCH intersections with Encinal Canyon Rd. and El Matador Beach Rd., according to the Caltrans Engagement Portal.
“Roundabouts can slow vehicles, improve driver awareness and create safer crossings for people accessing the beach,” Haber said.
The construction for this project is anticipated to start fall-winter 2025, according to the City of Malibu’s website.
While these improvements deserve to be celebrated, California State Sen. Ben Allen said the work has just begun.
“We have to do more — we know we must do more,” Allen said. “We owe it to the legacy and the memory of those four beautiful young women.”
Another way to remember the legacy of the four girls is by donating to a GoFundMe page that had the goal to install two memorial benches at Point Dume, Thompson said.
“It [the memorial] will serve as a lasting reminder of their friendship, their light and the love that will always surround them,” Thompson said.
The GoFundMe was launched in late 2024, but all promotion stopped during the recovery of the Franklin and Palisades fires, Thompson said. The page has raised about $6,000 and needs about $10,000 more to become a reality, according to the GoFundMe page.
The bench started as an idea from Asha’s mom Bonita Weir, and all of the parents quickly joined in with support.
Combined Efforts Create Change
After the Oct. 17, 2023 crash, Malibu City Council combined efforts with CHP to have their officers present on PCH for the first time in history to protect future lives from being lost, which would supplement the work of the Lost Hills Sheriff Department, Perry said.
Perry said CHP has worked to keep this promise since that day.
“They [Malibu City Council] made a commitment not in words, but in deeds to save lives on this highway,” Perry said.
Since CHP started to patrol PCH, officers have written about 7,000 citations on the roadway, and just over 4,300 of them were for speeding, Perry said. Fraser Bohm’s speed the night of the crash remains an important part of the prosecution’s case against Bohm.
Jared Perry speaks at the press conference at the Ghost Tire Memorial on Oct. 17. Perry said there is a reduction of injuries on PCH since CHP started to patrol the roadway.
There has been a 12% injury reduction on PCH over the past two years, Perry said.
“Those numbers represent more than statistics,” Perry said. “They represent lives saved, families spared and futures protected.”
For the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department which supplements the work of the CHP, statistics regarding safety have also improved over the past two years, said Dustin Carr, captain of the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department.
Carr said traffic collisions are down 50.9% from 2024 to 2025 in Malibu. This year, there have been no fatal crashes on PCH.
“We ask that you join us in our thoughts and prayers that this number continues,” Carr said.
Michel Shane Wants More From Officials
David Rolston shared his personal memories about his late daughter Niamh as well as quotes from parents and siblings of the other three girls.
Michel Shane, who shares the similar pain of losing a daughter on PCH, gave remarks at the press conference. Michel Shane acknowledged the officials who spoke before him.
“I have a deep respect for those who spoke before me,” Michel Shane said. “Their job is not easy.”
Then, in a moment that captured the audience, Michel Shane changed the topic.
“I am here to talk about something else,” Michel Shane said. “I am here to talk about death.”
Michel Shane showed the audience the chair of his late daughter to symbolize how many family members have empty chairs in their homes from the result of the roadway.
Michel Shane says he respects the officials who spoke before him at the press conference at the Ghost Tire Memorial on Oct. 17, but he wants them to continue working to make PCH safer. Michel Shane brought out his late daughter’s chair as a symbol of the life that he lost to the PCH.
Michel Shane said officials need to take more action for the community.
“How many promises have we heard? How many press conferences have we stood at? The file folder gets thicker, but the chairs continue to empty,” Michel Shane said.
The empty chairs of Pepperdine’s four girls as well as Emily Shane’s serve as a constant reminder that the action being taken is necessary, and cannot stop now, Michel Shane said.
“May your empty chairs haunt us until we finally do something about it,” Michel Shane said.
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Contact Emma Martinez via email: emma.martinez@pepperdine.edu or by Instagram: @emmamartinezreports
