Police deal with 25 crashes over the weekend
(CNS): The RCIPS traffic unit responded to over 25 vehicle collisions last weekend, many of them serious. Though no one was killed, several people were injured in two of the crashes. But as speeding, DUI and general poor driving continue, the police are urging drivers to pay more attention. Acting Superintendent Brad Ebanks advised motorists to be more aware of what’s going on around them and drive more defensively.
Around 4:30 on Saturday morning, 16 July, a white Kia Optima and a white Toyota Belta were involved in a major collision on Shamrock Road near Spotts Dock. Police said the driver of the Toyota fled the scene before emergency services arrived, presumably on foot. The two people in the Kia were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after being cut out of the car by fire service officers. Both vehicles were badly damaged and a CUC light pole was hit and knocked into the road.
On Sunday evening at around 6pm, a black Honda Fit was extensively damaged when it ended up in the median of Shamrock Road, near Grand Harbour, after a collision with a green heavy equipment vehicle. The driver of the Fit sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Both the EMS and the CIFS attended the scene and assisted with the incident.
“Thankfully, these incidents didn’t result in more serious outcomes for the persons involved and other road users,” Ebanks said. “As such, the RCIPS wants to provide a timely reminder to motorists of the importance of driving defensively on the roadways. This means always being aware of your surroundings, including how you drive and being aware of other motorists and road users. Never drink and drive, follow the speed limits and give all your attention to your driving.”
Both collisions are being investigated by the police and investigators are encouraging anyone with information to call the Traffic and Roads Policing Unit at 649-6254 or the George Town Police Station at 949-4222.
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Category: Local News
Tougher Laws and Penalties Maybe???
Who is in charge of granting licenses to these “driving schools” that have popped up overnight? Everyday I see another car and sign for lessons? And the instructors are from all over the place.
If you sit behind them you will notice they are teaching bad habits to those apparently learning from them.
Growing up here there was one driving school run by Mr. Walker; now there must be over 10 (closer to 15).
It’s a disgrace, I see some driving instructor cars indicating right when they go straight on at a roundabout. Bizarre and dangerous and ridiculous in equal measures.
if you are going straight through,,,you should always indicate right as you enter …and then indicate left as you leave
Oh my god I cannot believe someone has posted this. You indicate right if you are turning right at a roundabout, not if you are going straight on! This is so wrong and false… assume you have never passed a uk standard driving test!? Why would you 8ndicate right if you are going straight!!?
Roundabouts are the most dangerous intersections we have.
Geez are you mad? Roundabouts are the most simple basic road systems in the world. And remember,,, never indicate right if you are going straight! Same as never indicate left if you are going straight. Very very simple.
Only in Cayman, everywhere else in the world they are perfectly safe.
Ummm, so the drivers waiting to enter from the left know it is safe for them to do so? Confirmation you are not taking the first exit?
Lol. You give way to the right at a roundabout. Very simple
If you indicate right going straight at a roundabout then you should not be driving and have never taken a proper driving test. That is a fact of the cayman road laws
Indicating left is confirming you take first exit, are you mad?
You shouldn’t be allowed on the road.
That’s a joke right?
Caymans Roundabouts are a great way to see first hand who is ignorant of the laws and who is not. Same laws for everyone but if your too stupid they mean different things. Just watch for a few minutes at any roundabout and you will see what I mean, who they are and how many of them are still on the road.
In Cayman roundabouts it is often difficult to tell what “straight through” is. With 3 to 5 single and multilane connections there is a good bit of guesswork. The signs and lane dividers have helped lately.
Wrong. Firstly that is utterly idiotic, inducate right to turn right or change lanes only. Secondly read the damn road code. Page 41
http://www.dvdl.gov.ky/documents/Road-Code-2012-1-2021-02-25-02-10-56.pdf
People like you are the problem. Learn to drive. Take a real driving test.
Wow. Indicate right to go straight on? Genius. Do you indicate left to turn right, how does this work? Dear god.
wrong, wrong and wrong , go take a decent driving test and see how many times you fail….smh
Dear god, please tell me you’re joking.
The answers to my post at 3:27 prove my point.
Lol. You give way to the right at a roundabout. Very simple
Indicate right to go straight on? Lol. Instant UK/EU driving test fail. Congratulations!
That very unfortunate idiocy is in the “drive safely” book by Mr Walker, and as no-one actually reads the official road code, it is destined to be enshrined in Cayman driving. That and ‘we don’t use lane discipline’ in Cayman, as uttered by the driving examiner to my daughter, is no wonder that we will have a ‘Cayman’ way of driving, which is at odds to the rest of the world.
Who is mr walker and why has he not been banned from driving or advising on driving?
I am sure bad drivers come in all nationalities, but to be very honest all of my experiences with bad drivers have been from Jamaica. They will actually stop in the middle of the street and hold up traffic just to have a conversation. They practice here what is normal in Jamaica. Having so many Jamaican police just adds to the problem.
I have seen that too. Jamaicans just pull up on the side of the highway or road, or even in the lane, to stop and have a conversation or let someone out the car, absolutely disgraceful
So bit like a Caymanian bus driver then?
And you know they are Jamaican how exactly? Little bit too black for you? Or do you see the behaviour then ascribebit to the nationality? Basically, are you a racist or just a bigot?
You can froth about speeding all you like but the clear difference between Cayman and the rest of the world where people also speed is that over half of our drivers have never taken a real driving test. Our test is a bad joke.
Vision test also missing.
SO EASY SOLUTION! Like in Alberta Canada install photo radar throughout the hot spots. The revenue will far out way the cost and those speeding tickets in the mail for KYD250+ will dramatically reduce reckless high speed driving and safe lives.
Use the proceeds for either hiring quality teachers for public school. No excuses why Caymanians don’t have a first class education when government is generating every year a budget surplus. Extremely rare in today’s world
There’s a lot more to safe driving than mindlessly following an arbitrary number, in fact that has almost nothing to do with it. Speed cameras are the solution politicians like to show they are doing something but which have almost zero effect on accident statistics beyond reversion to the mean.
Speed cameras are the worst. They don’t materially reduce accident rates. Read up on it. All they do is fill our already overflowing government coffers at the expense of the average person.
You want want to increase safety on the road? Greater emforcement and harsher penalties for driving while using a cellphone.
I see it every day, multiple times a day, it’s distracting and dangerous as hell. And so many people do it.
@11:34:
There’s a lot of solid research supporting the claim that photo-radar red-light and speed cameras are effective at saving lives. An aggregate of such studies undertaken by the U.S. CDC indicates they reduce speeds by up to 15%, have reduced the number of speeding vehicles by up to 65%, have reduced accidents 8% to 49%, and have reduced fatal or serious-injury accidents 11%-44%.
The best-controlled of the studies considered by the CDC indicate injury crash reductions are likely to be in the range of 20 to 25 percent at conspicuous, fixed camera sites.
I say: Fine the speeders and the ones using cell phones while driving.
Absolute rubbish. Google reversion to the mean. Basic statistical manipulation to fool the uneducated.
Lol. Gcse level maths fail. Speed camera “effectiveness” debunked easily by reversion to the mean. Lazy solution pushed by those who need to be seen to be doing something.
First class teachers are no match for third world culture and upbringing. Not an excuse but a reason and the cause of poor education here. Traffic laws and rules are no match for the many ignorant drivers that are a product of the poor education of third world culture. P.S. Third world can not recognize third world. For them it’s just the world.
The cops don’t know how to drive either. The other day I saw a cop on his phone, left indicator light on, and go all the way around the roundabout in the left lane. Had no idea what his intensions were. No point in indicating if you can’t even do that correctly. If 95% of the population knew how to drive, a lot of our traffic problems would be alleviated too!
We are still in a pandemic to an extent….there is no reason people should be on the road all hours of the night/morning. Impose a curfew. It will lessen the amount of emergency calls, Fire, Ambulance, Police etc.
lol laughable comment.
Can i please have some of what you are taking.
Tell that to employers of the old school mentality that ‘if you’re not in the office you are slacking off’.
Yeah – let’s lock up everyone in their homes because the police can’t enforce drunk driving and speeding laws.
May seem trivial or just mere coincidence, but we are now harvesting the crop of having now had an entire generation of young people who grew up playing car racing / speeding games on their PlayStation and Xbox’s, without consequence .. just speed, crash, run over and otherwise own the road games. If you think that doesn’t create a mindset of road rage entitlement; it does. Add to the fact that our roads remain low speed zones while the cars/trucks/bikes we ride in, are all designed for high performance … its a recipe that cooks up the disasters we are seeing.
So we’re still doing the “video game impact real life thing”? This argument is tired ad dull. Find a new soapbox.
Those same young people played GTA.
this is a stupid reason. you sound 70 blaming an xbox.
Absolute garbage. People have been playing those games everywhere else without the terrible driving we see here. We have a joke driving test and accept joke driving licenses that is all. You don’t see North Americans or Europeans wrapping their cars round cuc poles every weekend!
Er, you realise Cayman isn’t the only place on the planet with PlayStation right? Sheesh.
But other western nations don’t have anywhere near the amount of crashes per capita as cayman and they have computer games. Plus the roads here are very simple to drive and low speed compared to the uk for example. The issue is terrible driving, particularly caymanians and Jamaicans
You must be dense to think that this is related to video games. It’s just bad driving practice imported from certain countries coupled with poor enforcement of the law.
Yeah all the bad driving it imported. Lol
Lol. If only there were other countries who had those games that we could compare our insane accident statistics to.
Doesn’t seem to have created a generation who are completely incapable of driving anywhere else in the world…
Ok boomer
I grew up playing video games. I still do.
I’m able to distinguish between reality and a video game. This is also the case for 99.9999999% of any population.
There’s plenty of peer reviewed studies too.
There’s plenty of older people who crash too, remember.
There are many, many, many factors that contribute to the state of driving in the modern day. While I do not fault you for thinking there is a link between what you just said and drivers on the road, I am very suspect of how much weight you give video games.
So if I played ‘Pong’ instead would that make me a better driver by instilling a mindset of looking both ways ?
Ok and the excuse for Call of duty and the guns? Let’s hear this one
I’m in the UK at the moment and it’s striking how few maniacs you encounter on the roads compared to Cayman. Of course, there is the odd one, but it’s rare. Driving in Cayman is like playing Mario Kart. I expect to see someone firing a turtle shell at me any day.
The reason for the difference is obvious: Cameras are everywhere in the UK. Drive like a crazy person in the UK and you will be caught and fined without anyone having to lift a finger. In Cayman, there is almost no chance of being caught for a host of reasons. No cameras, no cops, no rules, no enforcement, no consequences.
Any responsible driver must see 100 instances of bad driving in a typical day in Cayman. How often do you see someone pulled over? Once a week? Once a month?
We need to change the calculus.
On top of that, it could be that the driving culture just has a lot of catching up to do in Cayman. People just don’t seem to care if they crash and destroy their vehicle/someone else’s vehicle/someone else’s life…
Great swathes of the UK have no cameras, those areas like London that do are all well marked on every GPS map. The difference is the vast majority of drivers in the UK have passed a real driving test so there is a minimum level of competence. In Cayman there is no minimum. Many drivers in Cayman are dangerous at any speed because they are simply not competent drivers.
True. and also what happens is that someone who follows the rules all the time only has to get frustrated once and mimic what they see.. get away with it and viola, a reinforced bad habit starts to sprout.
When we had only a two-lane road around the island, the crazy drivers were held in check. Now that we have multiple lanes, I’m horrified at what I’ve witnessed. I’ve had to slam on the brakes to avoid being run off the road. I saw a pedestrian nearly wiped out by a woman in her SUV. I’ve seen 70 mph weaving in and out by different drivers. On Prospect a driver raced over 60 mph. These all happened in one week in the few times I was out!
They are as dangerous as someone shooting a pistol at random. Poor things have minimal I.Q. and E.Q. and should have their licenses suspended with hefty fines and purchase of $1M 3rd party coverage before ever putting the public at risk again.
Yeah it’s the road’s fault you can’t drive.
Yes. Also, in the UK, there are consequences for driving poorly, which aren’t really reflected in our society here.
The problem is that enforcing the law is culturally insensitive to the Local voting population. Can’t change it.
Drunk driving still seems socially acceptable in Cayman. It has always bothered me. Yes taxis are hyper expensive in Cayman, but if you take your car don’t drink. Simple.
Nothing will change until we hold each other accountable, call out your friends and family if they drink then plan to drive.
From what I understand DUI is not a criminal offence in the Cayman Islands. So being arrested for DUI essentially results in a ticket and won’t impact future opportunities for employment etc which might be the case if it appeared on a criminal record ? Without proper sanction we can only implore people to make the moral decision but the reality is a large number will continue to drive drunk.
wrong. nothing will change until theres proper infrastructure and a proper public transport option. You cant stop people from going out so give them options, literally everywhere else in the world does it, cayman is behind.
Alcoholics like to rationalise their problem drinking and homeward-return as if it’s their free right to subject the public to their wake of their poor life choices. First, if you know you are going out with the sole goal of problem drinking, then work it backwards by deciding to leave car at home. Then look at the available transport options, without your vehicle in that matrix. If you are usually over-served (>7 units per week), then driving yourself shouldn’t be on that list. That includes going out on a booze cruise, or “just dinner”. Starting the binge by not driving allows you to drink MORE, not less. Move closer to watering holes. Stay on a friend’s sofa/spare room. Adjust your problem drinking hours to the public bus schedule. Call a friend that doesn’t drink, or might be on antibiotics. Hire a taxi driver/bus for the night. Eventually, wake up and get help. Don’t let a manslaughter traffic accident be that wakeup call. Your problem drinking (the need to get piss drunk) is completely unrelated to the bus schedule, taxi fares, and availability of Uber. Given enough time, it always ends with a funeral.
doesn’t help when cig bans uber/lyft to protect the rip-off taxi cartel
This place is so far gone in terms of road use, it’s beyond redemption.
I’d be generous if I thought more than 25% of drivers here are competent.
We’ve got: hardcore idiots, brainless phone users, food eaters, dope smokers, visually impaired, deathtrap drivers, dangerously slow drivers, ridiculous road markings and roundabout lanes, dump trucks about 20 years past their expiration date, DUIers, unlicensed, banned, speeders,non-indicators…the list goes on. Nobody is able to fix this stupidity.
You forgot make-up putter-onners, in morning rush hour traffic.
If you haven’t figured out that the police are actually the problem, you need to shake your head. They do nothing about it and are contributors to terrible driving also. The blind leading the blind. Hire some more Jamaicans. See how much more like Jamaica you become.
If you haven’t figured it out that it’s because people like YOU always blame the Jamaican’s instead of looking in the mirror and taking self-responsibility for your actions.
What percentage of the fatal accidents in Cayman this year have been caused by Jamaican drivers?
If you don’t know the problem by now, it’s you. That’s a part of it too.
Agree. Police need advanced driving skills and required to obey the laws regarding use of turning signals. Not everyone was reared with a father or mother who could teach defensive driving. It’s a shame that Cayman has the cost of living, especially housing, as high as any city in the developed world yet has police and public schools of 3rd world countries.
Advanced driving? Lol. They don’t even have basic driving. I’ve seen RCIPS driving that would be an instant fail on a UK driving test.
All you have to do is spend time on the road in a country where they enforce the laws to see what the problem is in Cayman. I have spent the past two weeks driving over 4000 Km and have seen police stops for unsafe loads, speed traps with radar cars and multiple chase vehicles (i know I was stopped which was a shock given I have not been stopped in Cayman for 25 years). DUI roadblocks. I also saw large trucks being stopped for inspections by the transport enforcement teams. Amazing what happens when you enforce the law.
Everyone here is aware that borrowing cars is a thing after losing driving privilges? The police are reactive not proactive. We all see them on the roads as cars and trucks exceed speed limits and dump trucks, fuel delivery trucks drive recklessly.
Wouldnt matter if there were 50, or even 100 crashes. Nothing will fundamentally change.
Speed. Crash. Run. Repeat.
Mandatory jail time for drunk drivers. If they get caught twice – tatoo a big DD on their forehead and ban them from driving forever.
You drive like an idiot and cause problems, you lose the right/privilege of driving in Cayman. If you are here on work permit or illegally here, remove from island permanently.
One can only dream.
Deportations for speeding?
Cayman is about to break the world record for an any% speedrun on human rights violations.
Ummmm, you neither understand human rights law, nor our immigration law, nor the rights of any people to set and enforce rules as part of the basis on which persons can be permitted to live amongst us.
Agree with everything, except the tattoo; some would treat that as a badge of honour.
The driving reflects the culture here. Lawless, reckless, careless.
The cant tell me nuthin nation
Nothing good happens here after midnight.
The vast majority of bad driving is imported!! Low wage expats who’ve never driven cars before. Scooters, maybe.
But why? No reliable public transport system!!!
Just because an expat is a low income worker doesn’t make them more likely to drive poorly or be a drunk driver. I’ve seen plenty of “nice vehicles with nice upstanding folk” drive erratically and one such drunk driver smashed into my car and it took me nearly a year to get paid for it. I do also see lots of silver Hondas being driven crazily.
Thank you! From someone who was hit by a drunk young woman dressed to the nines driving a slick black suv after she just exited a $75 per head plus tip bottomless bubbles brunch.
She had insurance and didn’t run away though. You got lucky.
The “give locals a pass” guy has entered the chat
it’s not only expats that use their phones while driving bobo
Of course there were 25 crashes. The police do not enforce the law with any consistency, and are much too lax!
Take for example our immigration regime. Every time a foreign national does something wrong, even if not convicted, they may be liable to have their immigration position reviewed and if appropriate, sent home.
Now tell us RCIPS. When have you ever reported a miscreant to immigration? Please do not tell us you are serious about law enforcement while ignoring the reality of immigration’s potential role. We should be kept much safer – and yet you seem to refuse to use the tools available. Why is that?
Yo Brethren!
Birds of a feather flock together.
The driving in cayman, particularly amongst locals, is third world. I have done the math and the crash rate per population is about 30 times higher than the UK. Everyone should be forced to take a UK standard theory and practical driving test. Every day I see so many cars using the outside (right hand) lane on the highway going slowly and not indicating at roundabouts, including police vehicles, just two examples of terrible driving that lead to crashes and excess traffic. It is so bad here – worst than I’ve seen in many Asian countries and South American countries.
A combination of arrogance , stupidity and ignorance, topped up with alcohol , will lead to the continued carnage on the roads. Until the Government actually applies the law , nothing will change. It would also help greatly with the traffic congestion if most these halfwits were removed from driving on them. Won’t hold my breath on that happening anytime soon.
You any relation to Val?
Yes, we know we have to drive defensively in Cayman, even when riding a bike, or crossing the road, due to undeterred maniacal road users. Cops continue to collect overtime while paying lip service to the Traffic Code they are charged with enforcing. Don’t you dare talk to us about having to endure more selective RCIPS ineptitude. Do something about it.
The basic problem with many drivers here is there is a lawless culture that thinks you can get away with drinking and driving and speeding. Other drivers flash warnings if there is a speed trap. With so many people breaking the Law the Police don’t stand a chance. The Police have to be discouraged…and they aren’t helped when they don’t have the tools. Cameras need to be everywhere and the Law needs to be enforced. Not by means of a purge one weekend. It needs a continuous effort until the majority of citizens realize its not OK to drink, drive and speed. The problem is growing worse and if it isn’t stopped there will be more innocent lives lost, and more terrible injuries.
The police have > 400 full time career officers, two helicopters, brand new phones, latest vehicles…what tools are missing? Seems to be a glut of tools doing very little. We need a new CoP that will be accountable to this small NATO member-sized annual policing budget delivering nearly jack.
Lawlessness can only be tolerable in a place that doesn’t employ as many full time police officers as Cayman. There should be a cop every 300 ft with the number we employ. Where are they?
They in the A/C Bobo; it’s hot outside.
On break
What’s wrong with flashing warnings for a speed trap. Who wants a ticket for driving 10 mph over a silly speed limit? 25mph? People can run that fast.
It’s a lot different than drunk driving or reckless speeding.
Speeding is a symptom of the driving sickness that is getting people killed, and getting people in crashes.
Can we have a breakdown of nationalities please?
Bet the majority are Caymanians
I didn’t think it was fashionable to be this open with your xenophobia. I’d be impressed if I wasn’t so disgusted.
the nationalties of those involved will tell you alot.
why do we acceot the jamiacan liscense and the uk does not?
Since EVERY SINGLE ACCIDENT THAT OCCURS HERE involves ONLY JAMAICANS … notwithstanding the deaths of other nationalities by motor vehicle accidents, the prosecution of other nationalities for road accidents, the incarceration of other nationalities arising from motor vehicle accidents …the accident fraud committed by other nationalities, … the driving without insurance or licence committed by other nationalities …
Here are the only countries which the UK accept licences from … is your country on the list???
‘Designated countries or territories’ are: Andorra, Australia, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Republic of North Macedonia, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe.
https://www.gov.uk/exchange-foreign-driving-licence/y/yes/car-or-motorcycle/other
So the next time you feel the need to spout xenophobia on CNS, 1. do not do it anonymously write your name and 2. do a little RESEARCH BEFORE YOU POST !!!
Cayman should only accept driving licenses from these countries too. Others, including all caymanians, should have to pass a uk standard driving test as we follow the uk road system. Pathetic how some people can’t even safely use a roundabout. Even the local police here indicate right when going straight on at a roundabout and are no better at driving.
Driving in UK on Cayman Islands license you have to take a driving test after 12 months, I mean a REAL driving test, not the joke driving test in Grand Cayman!!!!
Whilst I completely agree that there is no need for xenophobia in a modern society, if you are going to insist on capitalizing research, might I suggest putting an FOI request into CIG in relation to the nationality of the persons who have sadly lost their life’s on the road of the Cayman Islands this year alone.
How about police being more on road with speed traps..random road blocks to catch drug use…DUI?…cant see them till december? Why not brad?
2.20pm You hit the “copper” nail on the head. Supt Ebanks “urging” will not make the slightest difference.We need far more active policing on the roads, I personally haven’t seen a speed trap or road block for years.
On the rare occasions when there is a road block you can literally watch those with drugs and guns or no insurance and no license doing u-turns to avoid inspection, and no-one follows them or pulls them over. It is a farce.
Drivers here are atrocious.
Sadly the police enforcement (and driving skills) are criminally negligent.
So just what is going to be done about it? These dump trucks and heavy equipment haulers just roar up and down without any police stopping them, people race around regardless of the posted speed limit, run thru stop signs and get mad if you stop. They are chatting or using the phones, have kids in there laps and in general are piss poor drivers with no intention of following the road code. Don’t get out of their way and they are 4 inches off your back bumper and when they finally get passed you they yell vulgarities. The police of course are no where to be found, guess they are to dam busy chasing criminals or doing something else important. The Governor makes a nice little plea to the bad drivers like that is going to make any difference. Our elected officials don’t do anything because it may cost them a vote.
What do you expect as most of the crappy drivers and the police are both from the same place and just look how great they drive in that country. Import garbage and you get garbage back. And our lovely little governor just makes such nice sweet messages. Doesn’t he understand these kind of people only understand one thing and that is STRONG ACTION!!
Caymanians are the worst drivers on the island.
Agreed – they have never had to take a proper driving test
What are you talking about? You dont have a clue