Decker Canyon Road in Malibu, a tight and twisting ribbon of pavement above the coast, has become the latest battleground between thrill seekers and the people who actually live there. A pack of high-end sports cars has been tearing through the canyon in what one local car enthusiast bluntly describes as a private race course, leaving behind scorched rubber, hair-raising passes and a lot of very nervous neighbors.
Evan Sawyer, who posts online under the name "The Canyon Carver," has been uploading videos he says show drivers blasting through the curves, crossing the centerline and leaving long black streaks on the asphalt. He told CBS Los Angeles that the same group follows a set route and races for 15–20 miles along the mountainside road. One of the drivers he has highlighted, he said, appears to be a professional racer. Sawyer says his posts are meant to shame the worst offenders and nudge fellow enthusiasts toward safer etiquette.
According to Road & Track, Sawyer has tried to cast himself as a kind of ambassador for canyon drivers, reaching out to residents and calling for more discipline from within the community. The outlet reports that he and other car-scene figures have helped organize conversations with neighbors around high-profile reopenings of local canyon stretches. Supporters of what they call responsible canyon driving argue that peer pressure and education can dial back the worst behavior before authorities resort to harsh restrictions.
CHP and road fixes used to deter racing
Officials are not just standing on the sidelines. Agencies have been pairing stepped-up enforcement with relatively low-cost engineering tweaks to tamp down illegal speed contests in the Malibu canyons. When a 2.4-mile stretch of Mulholland Highway known as "the Snake" reopened, the county added tighter intersections, new curve-warning signs and rumble strips, and the California Highway Patrol began routine patrols. The Los Angeles Times reports those moves were meant to discourage nightly takeovers and make it harder to treat the road like a racetrack.
The CHP told CBS Los Angeles that it routinely works with Caltrans on roadway changes and has added patrols in the canyons to push back on racing. "Please, call the CHP. Report the problem so we can send patrol cars out there," Sgt. Daniel Keene told the station, urging residents to call in reckless driving while it is still happening.
Locals split over access and restrictions
People who live along the canyon say they are fed up with the noise, risky passing and the heightened chance of serious crashes or even fires from late-night runs. Many car enthusiasts counter that most canyon drivers are careful and that blanket closures or heavy-handed rules would punish everyone for the actions of a few. Road & Track notes that ideas floating around include time-limited access, night closures or gates as potential compromises, and some in the car community say they are trying to police themselves to keep the roads open.
For now, authorities appear to favor a mixed strategy that combines enforcement, education and relatively modest engineering changes rather than shutting the canyons down for good. Drivers who witness reckless behavior are being asked to call the CHP so officers can respond and, with any luck, keep Decker and its neighboring roads a place for scenic drives instead of underground races.
