Cops net rogue drivers but crashes continue
Car crash in Cayman Falls, 24 February 2015
(CNS): Despite netting over a hundred drivers for traffic infractions, ranging from drinking and driving to parking in disabled spots, during the opening of the RCIPS Christmas crackdown on rogue driving and poor road safety, police said that there were over 50 crashes on the roads in the first week of December alone. With the start of the holiday season, the RCIPS has stepped up traffic enforcement to combat the usual increase in road crashes every December, but the campaign is not yet having the desired impact.
Between 1 and 7 December, several traffic operations and regular individual traffic stops around the island resulted in 57 traffic tickets, 17 speeding prosecutions, 8 DUI prosecutions, 29 expired registration tickets, and an assortment of tickets for parking in disabled spaces, not wearing seat belts, talking on a mobile phone while driving and other road infractions. Nevertheless, there were 51 crashes last week.
“People are in a hurry at this time of year,” said Chief Inspector Frank Owens. “Good, defensive driving – the type of driving that prevents accidents – requires patience. No matter where you are rushing to, it is not worth risking an accident.”
Operation Magpie is the name of this year’s enforcement operation by the police, which followed an education campaign about road safety with the release of “Road Impact: Cayman Islands”, a documentary project jointly produced with Cayman 27 about the impact of road crashes on families and the wider community.
“The RCIPS will continue our efforts to bring about a safe holiday season by taking a zero tolerance approach to traffic violations,” said Superintendent of District Operations, Angelique Howell. “We are also extending our safety messages to include personal safety of which we will be focusing on this week. We encourage everyone to consider their safety and that of other road users.”
Operation Magpie will continue through until 4 January.
For crying out loud, where are the police cars? it is ridiculous. There are morons behaving like they are a law unto themselves and no police presence that I can see. What the heck is (not) going on here?
50 crashes in 1 week. That is plain embarrassing.
I’d say that Cayman driving licenses must be found in Kinder Eggs, but that is very insulting to Kinder Eggs.
LOL, this is the same old s*** every year. I can remember regularly driving out of GT when RCIPS were staging road blocks outside TI Resort. They could be seen as you came past Seven Mile Shops so all I did was park at TI and go to the lobby bar for a few more cold ones until the cops got bored and went away. There’s a lot of hot air here but not much real action.
Proud of that 11.38? You are the problem
Odd – I have seen 20 plus traffic offenses every day this week but no cop car in action anywhere.
Au contraire 7.39 I have seen more cop cars in SMB area this week than I have seen all year
He did say “in action” !
It seems so obvious to me where to put these checkpoints – roundabout at Salt Creek for example at around 10 at night EVERY night. I still know people who regularly D&D on the weekends – it’s a gamble to them that they win all the time. As I have said for years if the cab system was actually regulated and the fares were “fair” it would be a no brainer for us to call a cab. We had 6 guests come from the Ritz to Gov Sound and it cost $20 + the woman driver had no idea where to go ! Ridiculous…still a 3rd world in SO many ways and the cops should know when to be out there, but as one writer stated, no, they have to do a sticker check at 8:30 in the morning on the bypass – nuts !
Why do you feel the need to say it was a woman driver? Does citing the gender of the driver improve your story somehow? 6 Ritz guests driven a couple miles for $20 doesn’t sound too bad. Cry me a river in your Grey Poupon.
“Operation Magpie will continue through Jan. 4.”
Then what?
Superseded by Operation ZZzzzz…
They haven’t caught me. Bobo has left the building. ..
This is clearly a result of way too lax enforcement on the part of the Police for way too long. And it’s going to take more that a seasonal crackdown to improve the current poor driving habits.
The manner of driving is a good insight into the standard of that particular society.
Reading through the headlines it appears to me that a large segment of the population should never be given the opportunity to engage in politics, drive or handle finances.
It would be reassuring were cars to sport two registration plates. Many drivers must think we are in America, where only a rear plate is required. Also, why are motorbikes allowed to get away with sticking their plates under the seat so they are quite invisible?
Actually, not all states allow a single rear license plate. Some states, in fact most of them, require two plates, one on the front and one of the back. Tennessee is one such state where a single plate on the back is sufficient. So your comment about America only requiring a rear plate is incorrect as such configuration is set by individual states.
Great initiative, but do they really have to conduct road blocks on bypasses at 8am and 4:30pm? The traffic caused by this is horrendous and makes everybody late for work/appointments. I get they have to reach their end of year quota and the volume of cars on the road is higher at these times, but talk about screwing everybody’s day up.
Well said! 5:48pm. 100% agree!
In Canada it is expected that the Police will set up Drink/Drive stop points even on the Trans Canada Highway (a six lane motorway). If RCIPS can’t get off their fat asses to main a few stop points in this rinky-dink little island with three or four major routes to acrry out DUI checks they tacitly accept responsibility every accident that happens.
Hold on a minute – if the cops can do this now, why can’t they do it year atound?!
Removes them from valuable duties like protecting the drugs shed?
Haven’t you heard? They are all way too busy trying to hunt down and bring in the hundreds of criminals already caught but not showing up in what they call a courtroom for sentencing. If they would check with the courts they could find most of them working on the side of the roads now in the latest welfare scam CIG is so proud of. But then CIG would be mad at them for taking their prize rubbish collectors away before they can buy their votes.
Too busy pretending to destroy drugs which they in turn sell back to the dealers on the street so they make a profit and the drugs still gets circulated. Remember the large amounts of Cocaine and Ganja they stole form the Police Station a little while ago? Inside job indeed, and it will continue to happen. Cayman Corrupt Islands. SMH