On Oct. 17, four girls who were standing somewhere along Malibu’s stretch of the Pacfic Coast Highway(PCH) were hit in a fatal chain-reaction crash at 8:30pm. Two other people were hit and taken to the hospital, conditions unknown. Those killed in the crash were identified Wednesday evening to be students at the nearby Pepperdine University— Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams.

The driver was thought to be speeding down the highway, lost control of his vehicle, and collided into a set of parked cars. Those parked cars are what hit the quartet of university students, likely killing them upon impact. The driver was a 22-year-old man named Fraser Bohm and was initially arrested for vehicle manslaughter. Bohm was later released from custody soon after and is currently under an ongoing investigation. But, it was confirmed through tests that he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 

Multiple reports dating back to 2020 complain of the speeding that happens often on the PCH, and this crash proves these concerns to be valid. This event is a reminder of how unpredictable drivers can be, — that it’s important to always remain cautious when driving and while being near a road or highway. 

Some drivers, especially inexperienced ones, can become reckless or unsafe while driving, speeding through the parking lot or forgetting to watch for pedestrians when going down the road. 

Castaic students have complained about the cramped parking lot, speeding, and the overall lack of driving safety. Junior Alexis Baker recalls a student swerving around her and her friends while driving down the hill leading to campus a few days ago. 

“[CHS drivers] absolutely go crazy.”

“I think there needs to be more control on speed limits because people are flying through the [parking] lot at 40 [mph],” says an anonymous student. “People don’t realize they’re driving two-ton killing machines.”

Being safe on the road and on the sidewalks is always important, especially around campus.