2022 terrible year for fatal road crashes
(CNS): With fifteen lives lost on the roads last year, 2022 was the worst year for fatalities since police began publicising officials statics on traffic collisions. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Police Commissioner Derek Byrne described the tragic loss of life as a “red flag for all of us”, both police and drivers, highlighting the need to make local roads much safer. Overall, collisions increased by more than 11% last year.
The commissioner said that this year officers from the Traffic and Roads Policing Unit would focus on speeding and DUI, the two main causes of all collisions, and hope the recent lowering of the legal limit for alcohol while driving will help the situation.
“As a direct response to the ongoing issues of speeding and drink driving on our roads, the government lowered the maximum alcohol limit to 0.07%,” Byrne said, noting that his office strongly supported the change in the law.
“Over 2023, the RCIPS will refocus its road policing resources on the two major causes of traffic incidents, speeding and DUI, with a number of tactics and operations to be deployed. However, as a community, we must also do better when driving on our roads for the safety of all road users and those we carry as passengers in our vehicles,” he added.
Byrne admitted that there was a lot more work to be done to reduce collisions, and while the police will be increasing roadblocks and checks, drivers also have a responsibility to drive safely, he said.
Traffic cops issued 9,437 tickets for traffic offences throughout the 12 months of 2022, an increase of 340 tickets, or 4%, compared to 2021. Despite the concerns about drinking and driving, 234 summons for driving under the influence (DUI) were issued, a drop of 37% compared to the previous year, and the same for speeding tickets, which fell by 18% when compared to 2021. But officers attended 2,915 collisions, an increase of 282 (11%) compared to 2021.
Throughout 2022 the average number of road collisions per week reached 56, which often contributed to traffic jams as well as injury and death. In addition to the 14 fatal crashes, which killed 15 people last year, 32 people suffered serious injuries and 356 received minor injuries as a result of a crash.
On average, drivers ticketed for speeding were doing around 17mph over the speed limit, but in seven cases drivers were prosecuted for doing more than 80mph. The primary hotspot roads for speeding remain the key arterial routes, police said.
Around 60% of the drunk drivers caught by police last year were found to be double the new legal alcohol limit. In 22% of DUI offences, the driver was three times over the limit, and 44% of those prosecuted for drinking and driving were involved in a collision.
Police also remain concerned about the safety standards of some cars being imported into the Cayman Islands. While the government is currently considering a restriction on who and under what circumstances people can import vehicles, Superintendent Brad Ebanks said the RCIPS was also hoping that new safety standards would be rolled out for future imports.
See this year’s crime statistics in the CNS Library.
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Blue Audi TT soft top trying to kill everyone on the ET bypass this morning, thank god for those speed signs that encourage these pricks to speed!
Every post here that doesn’t address the core issue of proper driver education, testing and enforcement is wasted.
This is Cayman it will never change as all the Born Caymanians are to busy doing what they do best, running their mouths and not doing.
@CNS, can you please provide an update on my dear friend Abele Hiwet that was killed in a hit and run in March.
The police and news outlets have been surprisingly quiet on the arrested individual and if charges will be or have been pressed.
I want justice for my friend.
CNS: Such cases can take a long time, I’m afraid. There may not be any updates for months.
Wait in line Bobo.
Not going to listen to a word the RCIPS has to say on traffic enforcement until they explain why someone who hits a power pole late at night isn’t even breathalysed. Not saying the gentleman was over, but how would you know unless you tested, and why wouldn’t you test – its not exactly a major imposition. Until someone explains that, you are left to assume that the test was t applied because of the identity of the individual and a concern that the test might be failed – and if that’s the case, why do the RCIPS high command expect the rest of us should follow the law if it’s not applied evenly and without favour? Put it another way, does David Byrne or Peter Lansdown think that would have been remotely acceptable in the police services they originated from? Or why we shouldn’t wonder what other matters the police decide to selectively enforce based on the identity of those involved?
Traffic cops issued 9,437 tickets for traffic offences throughout the 12 months of 2022, an increase of 340 tickets, or 4%, compared to 2021.
yet posters are complaining about lack of enforcement. did you read the article.
northward and the courts are full yet we complain of lack of enforcement.
zzzzzzz wake up.
12:01 is not complaining about lack or absence of enforcement, if you read it. They are complaining about opaque application of policing rules and regulations, as they apply to the traffic laws. They are asking why a political figure was given preferential treatment.
If preferential treatment was given in order to avoid a potential conviction, that is not only corruption, but a felony.
That’s 25 tickets a day.
So between 2 shifts of uniform units, at 3 major stations, plus the dedicated Traffic department, that’s what they come up with?
I could write 25 tickets in an hour or two, every day I’m on the road.
Today…forklift driven on dual carriageway. Several vehicles with no license plate on the back of the vehicle. Landscape gardening staff in the back of a van with the roller door open. Police SUV on roundabout near to the traffic department not indicating. Drivers on phones. Car turning into the road by the side of the Ritz that’s blocked off. At least two vehicles with no working brake lights.
And this is just one person’s list. Wanna see mine too??
@3:40 PM Those statistics mean little. What are they increasing from? A pandemic year? How many offences are occurring? What is the ratio of ticketing/offences? Is it creating a safer road experience for all? Because the prison is full, we should stop ticketing offences and stop prosecuting criminals- doesn’t sound logical to me.
There are probably 500 traffic offences a day- should we be excited for 9437 tickets a year? Hardly.
This is a complex problem will require a multi-faceted solution. Start with the low hanging fruit of enforcement.It pays for itself, enforces standards and expectations, and would be beneficial across all facets of government.
The only barrier is the will. It is like an adult parent who has been spoiling the kid for 12 years, and now realizes the impacts and has to change their parenting. It won’t be easy, but it is better to put in the effort and hard work now, then letting it go on for another 10 years and see the mess one has created.
headline should be:
2022 – another terrible year for rcips.
I encourage all Caymanians to start looking at the traffic cause list and as our resident anti Caymanian poster tirade about the 90% Caymanian prison population its match only by 92% Caymanian offenders in Traffic court. Coincidently not much other nationalities seem to make on these traffic court cause list yet we have 80K in population and even more mysteriously and miraculously very few of a certain nationality who now run our Police service seem to never make it onto our traffic court list yet our own eyes must be deceiving us on these treacherous and deadly roads of Cayman. Where two nationalities are frequently drunk or on drugs are driving on our roads who never appear in court another who drive under both conditions stated above but also drive like they stole the vehicle with absolute no regard for safety road courtesy and the traffic law nor the regulations. Yet we look in amazement how their vehicles even make on to our roads. Yet we don’t see them of these cause list Why??? some really terrible injustices are going here in Cayman now all all the government seem to be concern about is either their wealth and their image!
First, how do you know 92% of those on the traffic cause list are Caymanian? Really, because nationality or immigration status are not published. Is it the little voice in your head, or do you work in the court registry? But let’s just assume you are right in terms of the numbers. Your reaction is not that 92% of the declared offences are C aymanians, and we should be ashamed, but rather that there should be more expats on the list? And that there must be something untoward in the policing that there are so few foreigners represented, rather than worrying about what a significant percentage of the Cayman adult population is apparently committing traffic offences ( which presumably wouldn’t changed if every expat left the island). You would rather focus on your conspi theory that our police force only go after Caymanians than worry about the other side of the coin- that the sheer number of traffic offences is ridiculous for a small island, and if you are right, not only is the true level even worse but practically every Caymanian family must include traffic offences. It’s just whataboutism at its most basic. Sad. Don’t face the problem, just blame the foreigners.
Ooohhh hit nerve dear darling 92% is 2% above the 90% that your kind keep touting about our Cayman prison population The Whatifism is based on eye witnessed accounts of certain nationalities being given blighs and out right breaks whilst locals have to face prosecution and told we run tings! The thing that those like you should understand is born Caymanians know who real Caymanians are. Conspiracy theory about corruption in our police service no need to elaborate there we see everyday. The truth may be offensive to you and yours but it has one day put or soul in jeopardy!
Huh?! Are you educated?
Ahh. If you instinctively know who real Caymanians are, even just from witnessing an event without even speaking to anyone involved, I think you should join immigration or WORC. Your instincts would be invaluable.
We need to train our utility poles better. They keep moving in front of vehicles.
We should start with a million dollar study given to one of the local accounting firms that starts with PWC.
Next, the Hon. Juliana should should add a new staff of ten to the education department and offer world class salaries. Their responsibility will be to question the poles and provide safety and protection training to them and then finally send out the SS OES to destroy the privately sourced poles and pump up the government poles.
I think we can all agree. The RCIPS are a joke. Been stopped twice in th last 3 months so they can can my Vehicle registration on the window. Never once asked to see my drivers licence. I guess you don’t need one as long as the vehicle is registered. The vehicle behind me had totally blacked out windows. I guess that’s legal here. Anywhere else in the world that gets you a ticket and removal of tint right there. I can go on and on about traffic laws been broke.
If nothing changes, then nothing changes.
Enforcement. Enforcement. Enforcement.
That’s all that is missing- the will to enforce existing laws.
Choose enforcement and watch the CIG coffers expand by the collection of this purely voluntary tax.
Earmark the revenue collected from ticketing for affordable housing.
Behaviour change will follow.
End of story.
🧐 🤓 🥸 🚓 🔨 💰 🚔 👩🏽✈️ 👨🏽✈️
After the Jon Jon incident, zero credibility. This is a fundamental problem.
will keep asking:
my dashcam records hundred of incidents of dangerous driving every week.
why do rcips not want this footage?
why would a police department not want clear evidence of people breaking the law?
if i had video footage of robberies, would they want the footage?
will wait for answers
Because your footage is not admissible as evidence?
Every single traffic thread they’re told the same thing and every single time “will keep asking”. $25 says “will keep asking” is an absolute menace on the road who has no clue what lane they should be in.
wrong..again.
doubt that…so all cctv footage for traffic crimes is not admissible????…if that is the case…change the law…yesterday!
If CCTV doesn’t show the identity of the person committing the crime then, barring further corroborating evidence it’s useless. If there is no chain of custody of the evidence or verifiable timestamp, again of limited use baring further evidence. Dash cam footage does not have a *calibrated* speed readout needed for speed prosecutions, can be easily tampered with, deliberately or not, does not identify the driver(!) and often does not identify the car either. The only circumstance it might be useful to prosecute someone for dangerous driving if you happened to film them as they crashed and they were subsequently picked up at the scene by police/ambulance.
None of this is insurmountable. First have to try..
there is no real reason why the RCIPS wouldn’t want your dashcam footage. essentially you would be the witness and your footage would support your account. as long as the footage is of good quality and the police/ODPP can prove the footage has not been tampered with, it could be included as evidence.
in reality, think it would be too much work for them – both the RCIPS and ODPP
Unlikely it identifies driver.
a by-product of rcips not enforcing basic rules of the road.
free(money making) simple solutions to terrible driving standards:
1.bring in private run traffic police who are funded by fines.
cig will makes 10x times as much on fines.
police can then do real work or we can reduce their numbers.
win-win-win.
2. as per the uk, do not accept jamaican driving license
3. if you cause an accident or get charged with careless driving , you must automatically re-sit driving test
Honestly the Cayman license shouldn’t be accepted either, our test is a joke. Nothing will change while we consider this an acceptable standard.
Lol this dude’s idea of policing Is asking people that don’t follow the law to please follow the law.
Stellar.
If you Google map Shamrock Road by South Shore and Ocean Club, you’ll actually see a pickup truck with two guys just chilling in the back. The truck is pulling a little fishing boat. At least 3 tickets in one low res image of a typical situation on our roads.
The casual non-compliance is ridiculous.
Also, CNS, you reference officers attending 282 crashes. You missed a zero?
CNS: Sorry, there was an error in that part of the report. Corrected now.
so what is going to actually be done. our child who used to enjoy riding her bike on the weekends with us in east end and north side, counts vehicles smashed into poles, in bushes while we drive to school and says she never sees the policeman. the token speed traps pull over who they want. I drove by a speed trap yesterday going 6 mph over and was in the sight of the police radar, yet a dump truck passed me in front of the same police trap going faster yet nothing. where is the accountibility? if cant police our own, who has the balls to do it. we all hate added inconvenience, but put road blocks up, ticket everything. zero tolerance. police don’t use indicators when turning? who should i call to give them a ticket? Too many nods, winks and blys. Dont even talk about night driving, i think the police are even afraid to be on the road! ‘to serve and protect’……joke.
Speed Cameras
Cell Phone Cameras
Breath Test on all traffic stops
lmmediate suspension dor DUI
Point System
Probationary Licenses
A demerit points system would disproportionately punish those drivers and vehicles targeted for stop in the few districts where traffic police show up. Politicians, Marl trucks, and taxis are exempt from traffic law…apparently.
@8:19
A demerit points system punishes people who are not in compliance with the law.
“Those drivers and vehicles targeted for stop in the few districts where traffic police show up” will not be impacted by the demerit system if they CHOOSE to be in compliance with road laws.
Yes, lots of fatalities last year on the roads and off the roads. More in 2022 than any other year in history and except for 2022 more in 2021 than any year in history and that’s not including traffic deaths or covid deaths. Why are so many people dying lately?
Just call Wayne when you run your car up a CUC pole in the middle of the night. Nothing to see here. RCIPS have zero credibility when it comes to policing the roads. Half of them have no idea what lane they are supposed to be in. Until everyone here, including Caymanians and the RCIPS, are made to take a real driving test to European standards the utterly shambolic driving will continue and we will continue to have 10 times the number of crashes as them.
Roads got more than Covid did
One problem is that when an officer gets sent to deal with some stupid minor car accident caused by a stupid, distracted and/or reckless driver, that officer can’t be out patrolling looking for drunk drivers, or out stopping speeders etc.
Perhaps they should have a specific group of officers that solely deal with car accidents and another specific group for radar, roadblocks and other pro active operations so officers aren’t always getting called away to deal with some fender bender.
Dear Traffic Dept: the Traffic law ticketables are under 5 pages long. Familiarize or be fired.
😂
It’s unclear why the RCIPS continue to suggest they must prioritize just 2 out of the dozen or so responsibilities they are responsible for under the Traffic Law. How many of the 400+ full-time RCIPS are working in the Traffic Dept? Hopeless.
Exactly, when is the last time an FRU unit made a traffic stop? I guess their only job is to show up armed to the teeth after a shooting!
Or show up to a incident that has NOTHING to do with them and have an officer put a bullet through the window of a scenes of crime vehicle and nothing gets done? With a member of staff in the vehicle at the time! You couldn’t make it up!
Or they stop people while knowing a high speed car chase is heading right for you. They are useless.
How many illegal billboards were removed from out roadsides and how many of their owners were prosecuted?
1 loss is a terrible year. how long until rcips steps it up ? or how many maybe that should be the question. I’d be curious to see what our roads looked like with a cross on the side of the road where a traffic fatality has occurred in the last 25 years.
Why don’t we install actual speed cameras that catch the wannabe rally drivers instead of the silly signs that show your speed and encourage these people to go even faster?
How are the plate readers they installed working out?
and automatically issue tickets.
Unfortunately cameras catch the car and not the driver. In my opinion the registered owner should be responsible.
They are. Time for enforcement.
How many politicians were breathalyzed following single vehicle accidents?
An even worse year for enforcement of traffic laws.
If you want to get a drivers license when you live or work here you should take an actual driving test to ensure you know how to obey the rules of the road.
The elephant in the room is that our driving test is a complete joke!
According to our Cause Lists, drivers don’t need to hold a valid license, have insurance in their name, or have permission to use the vehicle they’ve crashed. Why would anyone bother with the hassle if the RCIPS don’t feel it’s necessary to do more than sporadic seasonal DUI and speed checks? Our drivers licenses should be issued with an RFID sticker to pair valid moving vehicles with valid licensees. If the RCIPS wanted to show up, they could sniff every road user as they drive by, and stop the vehicles and drivers that ritually cut society’s corners.