Crashes return as traffic increases
(CNS): Road collisions in Cayman were back to pre-COVID levels this past week, the RCIPS has said. Between 20 and 27 September officers responded to over 50 reports of crashes, more than ten of them involving injuries. The traffic unit said the majority of these crashes were due to speeding and people driving under the influence of alcohol. As a result, nine people were arrested for DUI, more than half following a collision.
“As part of our efforts to reduce the occurrences of motor vehicle collisions and continue to discourage speeding and driving under the influence (DUI), the RCIPS will increase our speeding enforcement at night as of this weekend,” said Acting Superintendent Brad Ebanks, the officer in charge of Uniform Operations.
“The RCIPS would like to remind all motorists to exercise good driving behaviour. This entails driving within the speed limits and not driving if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. You have a responsibility, not only to yourself, but also to your families and other road users. Do your part in keeping our roads safe,” he added.
Over the last few weeks the traffic troubles plaguing Cayman before lockdown have returned. Even though there are said to be some 10,000 fewer residents here now than there were in March, no visitors and many people still supposedly working remotely, the morning and evening commute for drivers coming from the Eastern Districts is just as congested as it was before the pandemic.
Traffic in and around George Town has also returned to pre-COVID levels, with regular jams during the day.
Category: Local News
I was in a coffee house yesterday, and could not help overhearing an interview for a lady from the Philippines, for which obviously driving was require for the job. The interviewer then proceeded to tell her how to use a roundabout!
We followed a garbage truck all the way from lower valley thus morning with one of the staff hanging on the running board. Whdn it got to the 2 lane stretch it immediately moved to the outside lane still with the operative hanging on. Unbelievable…..
I would like the CoP to formulate a plan for improving driving and reducing speeding. Cameras, fines and points towards losing ones licence? Fines could pay for cameras.
Election coming. Do the candidates have a plan?
Yes, the cops have a plan . I believe it is “Stay off the roads where speed laws are broken.” It’s S-O-O-O much easier!
They break the laws themselves. Just watch any when they are near you.
Why are construction vehicles not limited to drive on the roads anytime but 7-8:30 and 4:30-5:30??
yes! i have been saying this. WHY Does the Gov allow Backhoes to drive on the main road???? Top Speed of 25mph? Seriously
Because people working in the construction industry need to get to and from work.
Imbecile
Try again dillweed
You drive a cement truck to work? Usually people use their own motor transportation not the company back ho.
Perhaps CNS could ask the CIG what the road safety strategy is for the Cayman Islands. Having a tiny number of traffic officers issuing tickets is not a strategy. There appears to be zero joined up thinking on what is a depressingly constant reoccurring story-the never ending daily crashes, many of which are serious, on a small island.
Yep and they go on the radio and regurgitate the same old don’t drink and drive follow the speed limit use your indicator talking points but don’t enforce the law so no one cares.
@2:00 pm….. By Jove I think you have it! When laws are not enforced, why would anyone pay them any attention? What kind of idiots are taking care of traffic violations?
What do we expect. Cayman is saturated with people who lack the basic common understanding that waiting your turn in a line is basic adequate! They buy a car and then what? We expect them to use common courtesy???!!
Oh ok. Good luck with that.
The simple fact is people just don’t know how to drive/don’t care and treat a 1.5 ton machine like a toy car without understanding the consequences of that. They don’t know the width or length of their car, chat & text whilst driving with one hand, seat pushed back so far they can’t see over the hood or touch the pedals, don’t put kids in seatbelts, drive in the wrong lane, indicate when they don’t need to and don’t when they should. Constantly in the wrong lane or drive too slowly or too fast. And on top of all of that a large number of cars on this island are not roadworthy – bald tyres, brake lights don’t work, not enough air in the tyres. Seriously how do you not realise that one of your tyres is almost flat?! RCIPS need to put a dedicated team of ticket issuers out on the road and ticket, ticket, ticket thereby stopping accidents before they happen.
Who even downvotes this? I guess there must be several village idiots here, so can someone ask around please?
Nah…. that would be too much like work.
why aren’t all police cars fitted with dash cams?.my dash cam records hundreds of offences every day and generate millions in revenue for cig with proper fining system.
And then what?
free money making solution:
bring in privately run traffic patrol.
they will be funded by getting % of their fines…cig gets extra revenue from fines and police can deal with real crime issues
win-win-win
No law enforcement, no respect for laws. No respect for laws, disrespectful drivers. Disrespectful drivers, lots of accidents and close calls. Bad drivers in Cayman islands are never going away. Cost of living in third world.
Cost of importing the third world.
With the open door immigration policy we have, this will continue to be an issue. We import cheap labor from countries that have a dog eat dog mentality, so don’t be surprised with the bad habits you experience on the road.
Ain’t that the truth!
Because of 3rd world driftwoods.
Because we don’t enforce the rules more like. Every jurisdiction has bad drivers – but you deal with them and if necessary either fine them to the point where they behave or take their licences away. Too convenient just to say it’s all foreigners fault.
Actually it is most of you don’t even know about roundabouts and driving on the left, most of you didn’t even have a driver’s license when arriving in the Cayman Islands, trust me I see it every day.
Many of the worst drivers and many of those not enforcing the law, ain’t from here…
Maybe if the police would do something about tail-gating, lane hopping, undertaking they might see a reduction in crashes.
Of course, the police would have to first stop doing all of those things themselves….
Or people learn how to be in the correct lane? No need to lane hop or undertake if that happens.
Make traffic great again! 👨🏻🦳
8.03am and Traffic Lives Matter.
As a motorcyclist, traffic has always been “great” for me. Highly recommend it. If it rains on my way in, I keep a spare outfit and towel at the office. Every office has a restroom that you can change out in.
Please get the radar traps back on Shammrock Road!!
I also suggest putting in place the digital speed limit monitors on Shammrock Road.
I do like a challenge.
We really got too much of one nationality on our roads its simple as that. And they bring their dirty can’t wait, bad driving, blowing horn for the second you don’t move from the stop light but yet you are being cautious because one of them same jackasses is running a red light and last but not least just stopping ANYWHERE and holding up traffic talking to another of there own kind 🙁 And they are also our islands biggest contributor of DERILICT VEHICLES they will scrap them roadside, parking lots, into there cramped yards, ANYWHERE to be honest and exact and leave it for government to clean or landlords this is WRONG
Mostly yardies that come here and it be the first time they ever driven a car and to add to that throw their litter right out the window..
ur right. too many Caymanians who have never had to deal with real traffic, highways, bad conditions aside from rain.
Roads? Try the crosswalk, they barely want to stop!
No, idiots just walking on to the crosswalk without even looking at traffic, expecting cars to stop on a dime, please pedestrians look both ways before crossing the street and if you’re at the crosswalk just wait a few seconds,cars will yield for you remember this is not disney world even though a third world mentality would think so.
Of course it’s the law that you drive in a way and speed that you can stop on time for a cross walk where the pedestrian has priority but by all means make it the pedestrians fault rather than yours – rather makes the point about the standard of driving here.
I looked, saw you far enough down the road, pushed the lights, walked on.. When I realized you wouldn’t slow down or stop for me, I stopped walking and you swerved into the next lane to avoid me. Had I continued walking and someone crossed right after me without looking you would’ve killed them!
You wouldn’t have had to stop on a dime or swerve if you were paying attention. Bet you were on your phone. But yea, enjoy that dent I put in your new BMW.
You knew you were wrong because you braked shortly then drove off. Finally noticed the yellow flashing lights in the rear view huh? You fk’d with the wrong pedestrian real talk, but made the right choice staying inside your car. Don’t respect my life because you can’t be bothered to stop? I na respecting your shiny car OR your life either.
It wasn’t me, I don’t drive a BMW, but I must agree with you on that one, some people are very distracted while driving on the road.
I’m quite sure no one is throwing themselves in front of cars and it’s law that if a pedestrian is on the lines you must stop for them, despite how entitled you feel to continue onwards at your current speed.
I see it every day on the road, people just walking on to the crosswalk without looking sometimes not even touching the button for the flashing lights and even if they do they still walk into the road before giving vehicles a chance to stop, I drive very cautious when coming to those crossings because I know how dumb some of you people are and it’s scary because I’ve never had a traffic infraction in all my years of driving and if I hit someone I know I will be at fault.
Please pedestrians have some common sense when using the crosswalk just remember that you don’t see vehicles in hospital beds.
I don’t think they can expect people not to drink and drive until they have a proper taxi service or public transport option. Right now it is safer and cheaper to drive home after a couple of drinks versus paying some whackjob $25 to drive me in crapped out a 30-year old van, going either half the speed limit or double it, not giving way or indicating and then claiming not to have any change when I pay him. Fix that, then watch the number of drunk drivers plummet.
With nearly 30 years of drinking and driving experience under my belt, I consider myself a seasoned professional. Ps. I typed this while driving.
Really hope I’m on the jury that sends you to prison for killing someone
@ Anonymous 01/10/2020 at 5:11 am – that’s such a bs excuse & tired of idiots using it as an excuse to drive drunk! Nobody should be drinking and driving “proper taxi service or public transport option” or not. There is NO excuse for drunk driving.
Wherever there are two lanes of traffic in the same direction, in my experience well over 50% of the drivers cannot resist overtaking and driving well over the speed limit.This demonstrates either immaturity, ignorance, recklessness or sometimes all three, on the part of these morons.
The certain way to stop this and reduce accidents is to use speed cameras a simple and cost effective method without needing police involvement.
Yes! Why not??
Driving in Cayman is like driving in a third world country.
Especially like the one to our East.
Haiti?
Jamaica stupid
#geographymatters
What is drinking and driving? Is drunk going all over the road? Some people can drink and drive. Some people can’t.
No – some people get away with drink driving and some don’t. It’s socially acceptable (if not almost expected) for people to drive drunk in Cayman. Most of the people involved in these crashes would probably swear they “felt fine to drive”. We need a solid police presence on the road (not an occasional roadblock that is quickly announced on social media and everyone just avoids), a reliable public transport system plus affordable taxis and a public education effort to make an actual change. Yes it’s boring, annoying and less convenient than driving yourself but how many people have to get injured or die before we change?
This is why there are so many problems – What a stupid comment.
I usually put my drink down when driving, otherwise I find it spills a lot.
So here’s a free idea: make all traffic cops out to ticket speeders, the revenue will then fund hiring MORE traffic cops who will bring in more money. Also, set a quota or else they will be lazy like always.
I get it you want to keep us safe from the virus but not on the roads which are more deadly.
Also, start indicating on the roundabouts and actually go when you have space.
But… traffic cops are having to deal with idiots crashing.
If you don’t think they’re ticketing people for speeding, take a look around you. 99% of the time when I see them doing checks, there’s usually one brain dead customer parked up who didn’t see a cop in a bright yellow vest.
If a couple of simple measures were implemented, a lot of people could be taken off the roads.
– Proper ANPR, however this relies on accurate and up to date databases.
– Force insurance companies to inform DVDL when a policy is taken out or canceled. Then update the database immediately.
– introduce a penalty points system. As it is, you can drive on your phone all day, every day. If you’re caught, as long as you’ve got deep pockets, you just pay the fine.
People xome here and drive like lunatics as they do in their own yard. Daily im almost written off by a junk car with all windows down for air.
An idiot behind the wheel drinving like they are lawless. No one cares i know as its gone on too ling now.
Total idiots and many more will pay with damage and their lives unfortunately.
Daily? Maybe the problem is how you drive.
whats wrong with them having their windows down for air ???
We need proper, regular bus lines, and perhaps something more innovative, such as a rail line. Too many single occupancy drivers on the roads, too many people in a hurry, too many crappy drivers that should leave home ten minutes earlier, but don’t.
I am all for toll roads. Two or more pass by, and autos with one occupant have to stop and pay.
We need regular bus lines like in Bermuda.
Jamaicans should not be allowed to drive here, 90% of road accidents involve Jamaicans.
It’s nearer 98%, I believe.
To avoid any suspicion of racism, let me step in. As a former cop I can confirm this and the fact that lots of them lack a valid driver/vehicular license and are not insured. Truth hurts.
And the lack of consistent, adequate enforcement is clear to see.
And as a former cop how many of them did you stop and ticket on any given shift? Truth does indeed hurt.
More people have died on our roads than have from the deadly ‘rona.
Lockdown the roads!
Gridlockdown the roads, you mean!