Cops dish out 341 speeding tickets in just one month

| 05/04/2018 | 112 Comments

(CNS): Traffic police issued 341 speeding tickets throughout March, 187 of them over the last two weeks of the month, following enforcement operations largely on the Linford Pierson and Esterley Tibbetts Highways. The RCIPS said that while both of these roads have top speed limits of 40mph, a few drivers have been caught doing as much as 80mph, while others were commonly clocked at over 60mph. The operations have been in response to specific community concerns and police have warned speeders there will be no leniency.

Inspector Ian Yearwood of the Traffic and Roads Policing Unit raised his concerns about how fast drivers are going on these two major highways.

“We continue to see excessive speeding in these areas and advise the public to always be aware of the speed at which you are travelling,” he said. “Our operations are ongoing and we will not be lenient on offenders. You not only put your life in danger while travelling at such speeds, but also the lives of your passengers and other road users.”

Since resurrecting the traffic unit, the RCIPS has been clamping down on drunk drivers and speeders in particular, but other offences are also on the radar and last month officers also issued 40 tickets for excessive tint.

The police are expected to be releasing the 2017 annual statistics for both crime and road traffic offences, which is expected to show another bad year for rogue drivers and crashes.

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Category: Crime, Police

Comments (112)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    We need some serious help on Shamrock Road in the vicinity of the Savannah school. The west bound traffic using this double-merging lanes are a disaster waiting to happen. This is dangerous an it is a race track 24/7

  2. Anonymous says:

    To all those people who congratulate the RCIP on their wonderful traffic policing do not drive on Shamrock road as you will have a rude awakening. Once again I had a near miss accident on that road with a car going 60+ mph.
    What do I need to do to get the RCIP up to start policing this road?
    Where are they?
    What are they doing?
    Someone died on this road 2 weeks ago.
    The race car driving and motorcycle wheelies are frustrating.

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  3. Anonymous says:

    RCIP. …. traffic department… I know you all have a job on your hands, because for to long there were little to no traffic intervention.. therefore most drivers took advantage and totally had no regard for other drivers.. thanks RCIP traffic – whatever you can do will be much sppreciated as these speeders are very dangerous , and stressful to us careful drivers. Thank.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Congratulations to all the RCIPS Traffic Unit staff. A job well done and much appreciated by the community. Love the new motorcycles too.

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  5. You cannot make this up says:

    On Saturday morning I saw somebody drive through the Smith Rd/Bobby Thompson Intersection with his hood fully up and a jump start battery connected to his car battery. He kept sticking his head out of the side window to see where he was going, just like Jim Carrey in “Pet Detective”!!!!!

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  6. Anonymous says:

    People moving to the island should be required to take an examination before they are allowed to drive in the Cayman Islands. Period. This is not one of those anti-expat rants. It just makes sense. We have thousands of people moving here every year from all parts of the world. They all come with driving habits developed in their home countries, some good, some bad. They need to be taught the rules of the road for THIS country, for their safety and ours.

    Also, what happened to bicycles on island having to be licensed and properly lit at night?? When did those rules end? Or is it just that the police don’t have the resources to enforce these? New residents who want to cycle on the public roads should familiarize themselves with the traffic law as well. Bicyclists are supposed to ride WITH the flow of traffic and not against it. Its only a matter of time before a motorist pulling into traffic is going to hit a bicyclists riding in the wrong direction. Motorists pulling into traffic are looking for oncoming traffic from the right, not the left! And bicyclists are NOT permitted to ride on the sidewalks!

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  7. Wise guy. says:

    TO ALL DRIVERS in the Cayman Islands driving on the Linford Pierson and Esterley Tibbetts Highways (or any other road with multiple lanes in one direction), here is a very simple solution to many traffic woes. You ready for it? SLOW. TRAFFIC. KEEP. LEFT!! If you are in the right hand lane driving below the speed limit, and someone behind you is trying to pass, LET THEM PASS!! Indicate left and move to the left hand lane so people who actually want to drive the speed limit can do so. This simple rule is followed all over the world, but for some reason we can’t seem to do it here.

    There, a multitude of traffic problems SOLVED!!

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    • Anonymous says:

      The law is actually more prescriptive than that, you should be in the left lane at all times unless you have a reason to be in the right hand lane. Overtaking or changing lanes at a roundabout or junction,…

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    • Soccer Dad says:

      Yes! Why is this simple rule not followed in Cayman? I just spent two weeks in Europe, driving between Germany and Denmark. It’s amazing how civil and disciplined drivers are over there. Slower traffic and semis/tractor trailers/lorries/18 wheelers stay in the right-hand lane on a four lane highway (they drive on the right over there, two lanes in each direction). You stay in the right lane until you wish to overtake. Then, you indicate left, move to the left lane, overtake the vehicle in front of you, then you go back to the right lane. If you happen to be in the left lane, and Mario Andretti comes storming up behind you in his big honkin’ Mercedes-McLaren SLR, you swollow your pride, tell yourself that you’re still a man (even though you’re driving an Opel Astra station wagon), and move over to the right lane, out of Mario’s way. Simple and effective.

    • Anonymous says:

      8.57, this is the clearest and most intelligent explanation of how to correctly drive on a dual carriageway. Thank you! Repeat, stay on the left lane UNLESS you are overtaking a slower moving vehicle in front of you ( slow moving vehicles should NOT be driving on the right lane) OR if it is your intention to make a right turn at the next roundabout, then merge over to the right lane:simple. Thanks again 8.57.

  8. anonymous says:

    The headline sounds good, but we have become so accustomed to our traffic laws not being enforced that when they actually are it is (absurdly) quite the cause for celebration.
    For goodness sake, exactly how much planning does it take to do what one contributor suggested, namely positioning two officers, one to record a speeding etc vehicle and further down the road the other to pull the rascal over? I’m sick and tired of seeing dangerous driving with not an officer in sight, not occasionally but on a daily basis. A clampdown on speeders? Give me a break RCIP, just do your job 8 days a week, okay? Thank you.

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  9. Anonymous says:

    what about ticketing the speeding omnibus drivers going 60 MPH everywhere, it’s so dangerous foot to the floor at every opportunity screeching around roundabouts !!!! Grrrrrr

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  10. Anonymous says:

    ALL JAMACIAN DRIVESS! You can get a DL in jamrick or Honduras off the black market cheap so they never have had an education. Cig should start testing every driver moving here.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Yes, agree with you 7:24. Allowing people from these lawless countries to just show up and transfer their license is a bad idea. We should only allow Geneva Transfers (as it is called) to be done from countries that we have some surety that their home country dl is legitimate.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Jamaica and Philippines are parties to the 1949 Geneva Convention; whereas, Honduras, not a party, but a country where the International Driving Permit is recognized. The Cayman Islands is only a party as dependent territory of mother UK.

        Aspirationally, the road users of the Cayman Islands might be slightly better off, if our DVDL insisted on a valid International Driver’s Permit (per the Convention) on swap request for written test and Cayman Islands License. Qualifying for a IDP, requires not only a valid license from a Geneva Convention party country, but police clearance certificate, demerit point checks, and other appropriate hurdles.

        Holding what appears to be a valid international license, shouldn’t necessarily be accepted at face value, and shouldn’t necessarily be regarded as sufficient evidence of competency. A basic vision test for all road users and license renewals would also be appropriate! But these are all dreams.

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        • Anonymous says:

          where’s Geneva and what do they do there that make them no so much about cayman driving? Honduran got plenty party but no sense to drive any how. Jamaican’s just go go go like fosters on Saturday nights. all foolishness

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      • To the haters says:

        The statistics should also show the break down of nationalities for all crimes. This would then temporarily shut up or empower the haters.

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  11. Anonymous says:

    Anyone who lives on the island knows that traffic laws are generally unenforced. How many vehicles do you see with illegal window tinting? Who hasn’t see the crazed driver pass 4 cars on a blind curve? If the RCIP wanted to make some revenue they would position an officer with a radar detector midway along Shamrock Road and have a roadblock before the roundabout. Catch people speeding with the radar and issue the tickets at the road block.
    I know, and no I don’t believe in the tooth fairy.

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  12. Anonymous says:

    Any two-man team of traffic officers in Cayman should be able to issue 5-10 tickets an hour by just being stationed at any one of our roundabouts. These are natural chokepoints and the number of illegal issues I observe just driving through would make it easy. I have spotted everything ranging from cell phone use, covered plates, speeding, illegal tint, outdated registration, no license plates, etc. We are still waiting for the ineffective approach to traffic enforcement introduced by the departed Chief “Beans” to finally wear off.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Trailers with no tail lights, Trailers with no tail lights, Trailers with no tail lights, Trailers with no tail lights, and more trailers with no tail lights. Can someone tell me if there is a law AGAINST trailers with tail lights?

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  13. Anonymous says:

    I hope they don’t think they deserve applause for doing what in any other jurisdiction is part in parcel with the job
    This is how the CIG and their various departments and authorities operate
    They do the bare minimum and scrape by and then when they put the smallest measurement of effort into actually going beyond the minimum they expect us to sing their praises from the rooftops, and then they just go back to getting nothing done

    In any other job or career doing the bare minimum is how to end up with dead end prospects or unemployed but they are somehow proud to be one of the most inefficient and over-inflated police forces in the world per capita
    We keep accepting sub standard services and we act surprised when that is all they have to show for it

    You can label this however you would like RCIPS, it is a travesty that you know these sorts of numbers for speeding and other traffic offences exist and yet have been content doing nothing for all this time

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  14. Anonymous says:

    Good on the Police doing their job and giving out tickets to the speeders, but it seems to be only affecting the speeders who were caught themselves. I use the ETH every day and it is becoming a terrifying experience, constantly being overtaken at high speed by every class of vehicle from motor bikes to massive dump trucks: they seem to care not a whit that a policeman with a speed gun might be hiding round the next bend. Every day I have a terrifying experience. Keep at it, boys and girls in blue!

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  15. Wan says:

    Jamaican police letting off their fellow Jamaicans. Same with the English officers.

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    • Anonymous says:

      BS and you know it.

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    • Fair Play says:

      Wan – are you inferring that no Caymanian police officer has ever turned a blind eye to his countrymen, especially all his siblings, parents, cousins, in-laws and other family connections?.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Slaps on the wrist for the connected. Sugar glider case? Caymanian friends telling me stories that not so long ago stopped by police late at night, drunk as a skunk, police just drove him and his car home…none of it is right.

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  16. Anonymous says:

    400+ officers generating merely 11 tickets a day on average during their “blitz”. I realize not everyone is specifically assigned to “Traffic Duty”, but we should agree there is a “Duty” that all officers should share in enforcing our laws. The collective effort and situational awareness is nowhere near acceptable currently.

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    • Anonymous says:

      I’m not so sure that a good share of them even know what the laws are, why we have laws, or even care. Seriously.

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  17. Anonymous says:

    This is all nice and good but if traffic laws aren’t changed to where there is a higher success rate of selecting actual payment for the tickets handed out, nothing will change.

    Out of curiosity – how many of those pulled over did not have a license plate displayed in front AND back of the vehicle? Just yesterday saw a car without any license plates happily driving along………

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  18. Anonymous says:

    One silly question.

    Who is responsbile for ticketing the police when they break the very same laws on a daily basis?

    I’ve personally been in front of or behind police cars travelling significantly over the speed limit – who are not on any obvious chase or otherwise authorized to do so.

    What about when they abuse the use of sirens to navigate and bypass traffic more quickly than the rest of us?

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    • Anonymous says:

      Evidence? If not shut up.

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      • Anonymous says:

        You nasty piece of work. I have seen it too. Plus illegal parking, parking in disabled spots. Who do you report it to was the posters point? Dash cams should be compulsory for all. Guess you must have got a ticket…

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    • Anonymous says:

      I’ve also seen it as well. Marked police cars travelling at 60mph on the two lane roads with no lights on. Thought this one cop was trying to race me. Sorry bud not born yesterday. I drive a fast car but I don’t drive it like an idiot on public roads…

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  19. Anonymous says:

    Then there’s the issue of speed cameras. But if there’s no debt collection this will never pay for itself. There really is no substitute for active speed traps and on the spot fines, all day and every day. All payed by debit or credit card, no money go straight to lockup until someone pays the fine.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Speed cameras don’t work to stop speeders. All it does is take more money out of the pockets of the public to govt coffers. There is a lot of research done that shows these don’t work.

  20. Anonymous says:

    Hopefully they will ticket people obstructing the flow of traffic. Like the ones that do 20 mph in a 40 mph zone on a single lane road. Surely those people should not be able to drive anymore as majority of them are senior citizens that took the driving test (if one was implemented then) more than 3 decades ago. I wonder if Cayman had a single round about then? There should also be a 5 mph grace speed limit over and under the prevailing speed limit.

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  21. Anonymous says:

    Great. Please also include the every day yellow line parkers, e.g. Smith Cove, Rackams, etc.
    Plus what about the idiots using fog lights? I feel those should actually be disconnected on every vehicle (cut the wires).

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    • Anonymous says:

      Yes, the parking mostly in the middle of the roads! What the F is that? I can’t believe people are so inconsiderate of others.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Welcome to Cayman

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      • Anonymous says:

        I pointed out a car parked 3 feet in the road, paced it off to a cop and asked him if it was legal to park in the middle of the road. He pointed to the centerline and told me “that’s the middle of the road”. Genius. Just f’ing genius.

    • Anonymous says:

      Smiths Cove is an accident waiting to happen. Only a matter of time before a child runs out into the road from behind and illegally parked car and is seriously hurt or killed. Also, it appears the rules don’t apply to the Trolly Roger as they regularly park over the double yellow too!

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      • Anonymous says:

        Ah yes, the Trolly Roger. That clunky heap of junk that regularly cruises down south sound at 20mph in rush hour traffic. To see the trailer unit sway around is amazing. I wouldn’t put old timber in the back, let alone a load of tourists.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Here you actually teach your children that it is ok to get off a school bus and amble across the road without looking! Children should be always taught to stop at the edge of the road & look both ways before crossing not just at Smiths Cove.

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  22. Anonymous says:

    How many of these ticketed speeders where motorcyclists again? None. *sips tea*

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    • Anonymous says:

      with lifted pinkie.. Like a civilized person.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Motorcyclist are our friends. They contribute daily to your quality of life by doing that one trick they know called ‘look at me mommy, mommy please look at what I can do”. The police leave them alone cuz they are trying to please their mums.

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  23. Anonymous says:

    i was coming to wk this morning at cruising along at 40 mph on linfird pierson highway…a van crossed me like i was stopped….glas yo see the lady police with radar gun at round about!! great job rcip??

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  24. Anonymous says:

    I am convinced that the drivers that drive as far on the yellow line as far as they can in the Savannah Primary School area have woken up and decided they want to be rebellious. There is no sense why drivers will pull to the right just to cross the long trail of yellow lines.

    This could be the way to feel that they are doing something illegal, because it makes no sense of why they do it. That area is at least 100 tickets alone in the morning traffic.

    And whatever happened to that man that had so many supporters about his home being repossessed? I did not hear the main man took him in and help him financially. Or was that all a political show and reality kicked in that the Banks are not in business for Charities?

    • Anonymous says:

      If you haven’t noticed the entire left lanes surfaces makes a very rough ride, may as well go off road and have you feel more special

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  25. Anonymous says:

    How many people got fined for littering???

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    • Anonymous says:

      It’s too hard to catch people littering and the would require police to actually drive around and work.

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  26. Fair Play says:

    Now that most drivers have “smart” number plates, how many of these drivers were disqualified, had no insurance, no cert of roadwortiness, or expired registration?.

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    • Gucci gang says:

      Calm down now Mr. Man of the Future. Didn’t you see the news article that the govt went and paid for these plates, but they have no way to ‘read’ them yet? LOL

      • Fair Play says:

        Gucci – that was precisely the point I was making, perhaps I should have proffered the answer – zero!.

    • Anonymous says:

      They can’t read the information with the tags on the plate and the distribution of the plates is behind schedule (what a surprise, this is Cayman and involves the CIG and more importantly licensing the worst department on island)
      They spent money as usual, with some grandiose (and unnecessary) idea just like with the CCTV cameras and in the end it was just a huge waste of money with no respect to the opinion of the public on this issue (just like the cruise berthing which will continue whether the public wants it or not)

      Another day in Alden and Mckeeva’s Hermit Kingdom

  27. Anonymous says:

    Can they also start pulling people over for not using their indicators? Especially at key junctions like the one by the post office in town. It is annoying and causes traffic when people have to wait at the junction only to have the oncoming car turn off.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Let’s not forget the round abouts also. People in Cayman must believe that cars do not come equipped with indicators. I’ve even seen the RCIPS not indicate. I have a good mind to get me a dash cam so i can police the RCIPS.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Indicators should only be used at Christmas to brighten the festivities.

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      • Anonymous says:

        never understood why I should use indicators, I know where I’m turning I don’t need indicators to remind me

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  28. Anonymous says:

    Only consistent, sustained enforcement of the traffic laws will yield long term improvement in Cayman. This level of enforcement must be maintained every day. Keep it up RCIP.

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  29. Anonymous says:

    If you want to quadruple those ticket numbers spend some time on Shamrock Road along the Spotts raceway. That unpatrolled road is the Wild Wild West.

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  30. Anonymous says:

    Question: have they busted the green helmet motorcycle monster yet…for anyone of his ongoing stupid stunts between vehicles

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  31. Anonymous says:

    This has been going on for so long and we never see policing to stop speed violators. They should be visible every morning on Spotts Road from 6a.m. onwards. We have been putting our lives in danger every morning driving to work! Speeders, overtakers, negligent public bus drivers and school bus drivers should all be on the radar.

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  32. Anonymous says:

    Crackdown!!!!!!

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  33. Watchful eye says:

    What is an expected revenue generated by these tickets? Where will this money go?

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    • Anonymous says:

      In any normal jurisdiction the money is taken in by the police department
      Creating an incentive for enforcing the law, which is both positive and negative, in some places officers go around streets leaving tickets on all the cars and hoping that people will just pay the fine instead of fighting it in court which generally ends up costing more than the ticket, (loss of revenue from having to spend time in court etc etc)
      I don’t think they do that here, seeing as the enforcement of laws is so lax probably just ends up in someones pocket or disappears like the drugs from the station

    • Anonymous says:

      Who actually pays their Ticket? No enforcement to collect on these Tickets so who cares about speeding . . .

  34. Anonymous says:

    And 4 will ever be paid

  35. DUI? says:

    let see 341 divide by 12 officers whoa that’s 1 ticket per officer per day for 28 days. Boy they working hard.

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  36. Anonymous says:

    They could get 350 in one day for failing to stop at stop signs and running red lights.

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  37. Anonymous says:

    They should be able to accomplish this each week. If I was a cop it would be ridiculous how many tickets would be handed out. Speeding, wreck less driving, dui,window tinting, speeding, wrec…………I’m repeating myself…sorry. Yeah, no problem….all day every day. Easy money for the government.

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    • Anonymous says:

      I was just saying earlier to friends if I was a cop I’d be writing 15-20 tickets per day because you just see so much illegal stuff on a day to day basis.

  38. Anonymous says:

    375 coming up for April . Do I hear 400 from the floor , anyone..? You Sir, in the front row

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  39. Anonymous says:

    These road should be 50mph zone. Two of the few roads built well in Cayman. In regards to tint, go to the RCIPS, customs and immigration parking lots. You can ticket most of the government cars there.

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    • Anonymous says:

      People drive those highways regularly at 50 MPH and it doesn’t even feel close to unsafe. I’d feel safe on that 3 lane road at 65 mph.

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  40. Anonymous says:

    Yeeehaaa!!!

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  41. Anonymous says:

    Another stunt from the CIG to generate money that they stupidly destroy on a regular. Solve a dam case for once and stop messing with people who are usually speeding because they are running late for work or for some valid reason. #morons

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    • Anonymous says:

      Yeh, right. What a joyful and criminal citizen you are. There are reasons for speed limits. It’s for the safety of all and sundry. If you don’t understand that, you should be in Northward.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You, sir, are the problem here. The speed limit is the speed limit, full stop. Being late for work is no excuse for breaking the law #yourethemoron

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    • Anonymous says:

      You drive a Honda, don’t you?

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    • Anonymous says:

      Yea try that excuse with the next cop you see. Judging by your attitude it might not be much longer.

  42. Anonymous says:

    There must be quota requirements in place, i.e. “go out and collect more $$$ for Government, we’re entering the last fiscal quarter and need to justify the funding we received last year”

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  43. Anonymous says:

    How many officers are responsible for the pace of discovery at just 11 tickets per day?

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  44. Anonymous says:

    Out of the 341 speeding tickets, how many will be paid ????????

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    • Anonymous says:

      Simple solutions if the political will exists, all tickets linked to your electricity, water and cell/internet accounts. You get cut off if you don’t pay. When its only linked to your licence the degenerates just drive around without one.

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  45. Anonymous says:

    Both by-passes should be at least 50mph

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  46. Anonymous says:

    Headline – RCIP Do their job…………..this enforcement should be 24/7

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    • Anonymous says:

      Seems to me we’re spending tens of millions to build superhighways and keeping the same speed limits so we can collect tens of millions to pay for the superhighways…

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    • Anonymous says:

      No place on the planet writes tickets 24/7: at least be realistic

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      • SSM345 says:

        Actually those countries that have things called speed cameras and CCTV issue tickets 24/7, 365 days of the year, they are computer generated, arrive via post or email, and get rid of the paperwork that the police hate having to deal with.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Yes every developed country does this, ever heard of night shifts? If you’re from here then no, you haven’t heard of night shifts.

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