After a spike in crashes on Highway 1 between Lompoc and Vandenberg Village, locals are calling for more safety measures to be implemented to protect drivers.
"I honestly, I don't remember what happened that day. I know I was driving downtown to help my daughter get her nails done, and I was coming home," said Joni Song, but she didn’t make it home.
"Next thing I know I’m waking up in the hospital," Song said.
She was involved in a crash on Christmas Even. It was one of 33 crashes along Highway 1 last year near Vandenberg Village. Twenty-five of those crashes happened during wet conditions.
"I hurt my arm and my leg pretty good and then my face got the most of it. I had tons of brain injuries and then mouth injuries," she said while showing her injuries one by one.
The other driver died at the scene.
"Being thankful and couldn't believe I was alive and pretty upset that someone else had passed away during it," she said.
The California Highway Patrol says crashes in the area increased from 16 in 2023 to 33 in 2024. In response, they’ve put more officers in the area, especially during wet weather.
"The speed limit here is 65, I think that is just too fast for this road," said retired Sheriff Deputy Joey Patrick.
Patrick believes distracted driving, speeding and deteriorating pavement are all safety concerns for the area.
"If you’re coming down that hill (southbound on Highway 1) at 65, a lot of force is coming around that curb," explained Patrick.
This week, Caltrans crews began laying a high friction surface treatment as part of a multi-agency project addressing safety concerns along the southbound lanes of Highway 1 south of Vandenberg Village.
"Your speed is going to affect you and the people around you. If you feel like you need to go fast, then maybe you left a little too late," Song said.
