Transparency Item: The Perspectives section of the Graphic is comprised of articles based on opinion. This is the opinion and perspective of the writer.
The California Highway 1, best known as Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), runs directly in front of Pepperdine’s campus. For many commuter students, faculty and staff, it is the most effective way of getting to school every day.
I am one of those students. I drive through PCH twice a day, five days a week, and although a scenic and beautiful drive, there is not a single day that I am not reminded of its dangers.
The big trucks that carry construction materials, flashing signs indicating lane reductions, reduced speed limit signs and the Ghost tire memorial are all constant reminders that PCH is not just another highway, but a dangerous road undergoing constant repairs trying to make it safer for drivers.
The reality behind the scenic drive along PCH is a combination of heavy traffic, sharp curves and speeding.
However, for Malibu residents and Pepperdine students, PCH is both a lifeline and a threat, and it is our responsibility as members of the community to take conscience of the risks we face.
With just a few other alternative routes out of Malibu, PCH proved to be a lifeline locals took for granted after it closed down due to the Franklin and Palisades fires. PCH spans over 656-miles and runs all the way from Dana Point in Southern California to Leggett in northern California, according to Visit California.
But in more cases than we would like to remember, PCH also proved to be a threat. Since 2010, the 21-mile Malibu section has witnessed 61 fatalities, a number that keeps rising every year, according to Los Angeles Times.
Many complain about construction or the approved speed-cameras program set to begin enforcement in November of 2025. We forget this is not simply an inconvenience, but every cone, barrier and camera are an attempt to make the dangerous highway we drive every day, safer.
These measures are also lifelines because accidents on PCH are frequent, frightening and should not be forgotten.
More often than I’d like to admit, I too forget and speed to class because I am running late, or glance at my phone to change the song that is playing, but this temporary forgetfulness is dangerous.
As students, and members of the community, we are responsible for remembering the dangers that we face every time we get in our cars and drive through PCH. We need to slow down, respect speed limits and treat intersections and crosswalks like someone’s life depends on it, because it does.
The fight for a safer PCH is not recent. For decades, residents have advocated for safety measures to be taken and as we, students, make Malibu our temporary home, we need to advocate for them too.
Let’s remind ourselves that PCH is not just a beautiful drive, but a dangerous one too.
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Contact Karla Suzuki via email: karla.suzuki@pepperdine.edu
