Luke Skywalker wants people to slow down on PCH

Malibu is turning to one of its most beloved residents, Star Wars actor Mark Hamill , in its latest effort to curb crashes and fatalities on Pacific Coast Highway.

The city is launching a PR blitz on Thursday dubbed “Cruise Malibu – Surf, Sand, Slow,” which, as the name implies, urges drivers to slow down.

The campaign involves a new television commercial starring Hamill and a theme song performed by the Kenny Loggins Band. Other promotional materials include license plate frames and stickers, officials said.

In November of last year, Malibu’s City Council declared a local state of emergency due to the rising number of crashes -many of them speed-related- on its 21-mile stretch of PCH.

The city says 220 crashes claimed the lives of seven people on PCH in 2023, including four Pepperdine students who died when a driver slammed into parked cars as they were standing on the side of the highway in October.

That incident prompted local and state officials to move swiftly to implement new safety measures, including new speed cameras and signs and increased law enforcement patrols.

“These dangerous conditions have significantly worsened due to an epidemic of excessive speeding,” the city said in a news release. “From 2011 to 2023, 58 people have been killed and hundreds of drivers, passengers, bicyclists, and pedestrians have been injured in collisions.”

Officials estimate that 40,000 vehicles travel on PCH through Malibu each day.

The campaign kick-off event is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. at Malibu Bluffs Park.

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