In an effort to up the ante on road safety, the City of Malibu is once again enlisting the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to hold down the fort on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). A two-year deal, socking the city coffers for a cool $2 million, was given the green light this past Monday, aimed to stomp out the reckless driving that's been a real headache for locals.

The move to bring back the boys in tan was sparked by a spate of accidents, including a horror show last October when a daredevil driver wiped out four Pepperdine students. Since then, the city council has been scrambling decisively to make the scenic but snake-like stretch of tarmac a bit less hair-raising.

As per a city press release, this newly minted contract will set up a dedicated squad of three CHP officers to zero in on traffic enforcement within the Malibu stretch of PCH. City officials are banking on a more muscular police presence to flash a stop sign to the speed demons and lay down the law on tailgaters.

Civic leaders called a local state of emergency back in the grim days of November 2023, hot on the heels of the deadly crash involving those Pepperdine kids. This latest play aims to slam the brakes on a notorious stretch of asphalt critics say has been doubling as a drag strip.