Cops and fire crew taught safer driving
(CNS): A group of police and fire service officers has acquired advanced driving skills that will be passed on to other members of the RCIPS and the CIFS. Despite various campaigns to improve driving standards in Cayman, 95% of road smashes are the result of human errors and collisions show no signs of decreasing. As a result, not only do the police and fire service want to ensure they are not part of the problem, but they also hope to set an example for road users. It cost government just a few thousand dollars to train three police officers and four firefighters in emergency driving techniques.
Those seven officers will now be passing on their newly acquired skills to their colleagues. The short course was delivered by the UK-based private sector firm, Emergency Response Driver Training Ltd, which is accredited by ROSPA, a well-known and long-established British road safety charity.
The uniform officers have earned an international diploma in emergency response driving,
tailored to meet the conditions on Cayman’s roads. Instructors (right) Stephen Milton, the firm’s managing director, and his colleague Mike Addison, both ex-police drivers, explained that the eight-day course focused on techniques and tactics to think ahead, enabling drivers to anticipate what could happen, literally, further down the road.
Also given the recent incident involving a fire truck on Cayman Brac the drivers also received roll-over training. Driving at speed and safe cornering were also key skills covered in the course.
The course was organised by the head of the traffic unit, Chief Inspector Ian Yearwood. Officials here said the goal was to improve uniform driver standards and up-skill the officers, and have a knock-on impact through the fire and police services and hopefully influence all drivers.
One of the police officers who took part said that the RCIPS was well aware of the need to improve driving standards among their own as well as the wider public and the course offered genuine techniques to improve the competency of drivers in emergency situations and generally.
Chief Superintendent Robert Graham said this course was another part of the modernisation and professionalisation of the RCIPS. He said that no matter how experienced a driver an officer might be it is still valuable to enhance their existing abilities. He also said that with the three officers now qualified as instructors they will be able to improve RCIPS driving standards across the service.
Category: Local News, Police
Hope they were also taught how to turn on there headlights too ?
I love the new quarter mile by Jose and airport I can see who gets to merge for Crewe Rd first lol
Good idea, we might have a fire truck & police car at the end of the day lol!
its a great move … cause the amount of written off POLICE cars over the years is incredible … the amount of police cars that have been written off and put back on the road only to be written off again. ITS funny when these police cars get in accidents or write offs, you barley hear a word in the news.
Nobody from the Licencing Department was required to attend?
In Britain where I am at the moment I estimate some 95% of drivers at a minimum use their indicators, whereas in Cayman it is somewhat less than 50%.This is a pet peeve of mine, the problem is, that it is not an offence to drive without indicating. But indicators are placed in all cars for very good reasons, yet it seems we have a large number of drivers who are ignorant and/or lazy to the detriment of our driving standards and safety.
I use mine at Christmas…makes it so much more festive!
In the last few days, I have seen three cop cars and all did NOT use their indicators. It is a big pet peeve of mine as well but even more so when the cops can’t even be bothered to use them.
I can’t believe some people are so negative all the time about RCIPS. They can’t seem to be doing anything to please you. They are damned if they do and damned if they don’t!
I think this programme is an excellent step forward for all concerned. To advance Officers in their driving skills and hopefully pass on this example to the multitude of traffic offenders on this island surely must be a huge achievement. For its size, Cayman must be one of the highest places for motor vehicle accidents in the Caribbean. Let’s not criticise anything that may help to reduce these appalling statistics. All rapid response drivers need to be advanced in their driving skills. Bringing in this highly qualified team from the UK is certainly a positive step forward. Well done Commissioner!
I drive all over the island – but savannah to George town is plagued with BAD drivers, speeders, drunk, inconsiderate, don’t know how to drive and don’t care drivers. The two lanes in Savannah,(residential area), in front of the school is a race track, it is a dangerous situation. Accidents and road rage in this area are daily occurrences. I have called the BT police, complained to MLAs begging for assistance. We need this second lane closed and we need police on the scene Immediately, as this was a mistake and a stupid decision made by stupid some MLAs to create this second lane – this is a bad situation – a very bad accident is imminent. Lets get this situation rectified please. Good people are paying to diver on the roads.
I live further down the road from the School between the Seventh Day Church and the bee man. The problem exist here also after the two lane the quarter mile race continues ! And that’s going in both directions maybe that 30MPH sign hidden in the bush before Caskwell Dr needs to be in the center of the road ?
I am sorry, but my European driver licence will still exceed the qualifications of this training.
How people in this country including the police are driving their vehicles is an absolute joke.
I get yelled at, when I stop at a stop sign, cars tailing 10 feet behind me, police ignoring ALL rules, no indicating, speeding, no lights……need to go on ?
Third world mentality.
So you give no credit to the fact that they recognise that and are trying to fix do something about it. If they were not trying to do anything there would be complaints about that. You are not even giving them a chance.
Granted, they do need to bring back the traffic department as this has caused drivers to run a muck.
I wouldnt brag too much about how the Europeans drive if I were you!
I really hope this course covered the use of indicators. Since it appears that most RCIPS drivers do not know what those are for when driving along in traffic.
And why the Ambulance Service was not included??????? Amazing how EMS continues to get shorted in everything. Are we not all part of Emergency services????? Are we not on the road just a tad more than the fire service( no insult intended, just a fact). Always have to beg borrow or steal. Some things never change. Thanks for nothing.
Why so negative? Maybe the Ambulance Service was seen to have acceptable driving standards and didn’t need the training…
Agreed! Thank you for addressing this. The Cayman Islands EMS, is always being excluded from the news and given no thought or credit. They are the ones on the road going 50-70 mph responding to calls or driving that speed with a patient and paramedic in the back of the vehicle, going to the hospital. They should be the ones with the most training, however are not and constantly overlooked. The News outlets never even address the department properly. All we ever hear about is the Fire Department and Police. It’s getting old.