Traffic cops to lead Easter road safety campaign
(CNS): Police will clamp down on rogue road users over the Easter Holidays in a targeted safety campaign to reduce serious injuries and fatalities on Cayman’s roads. Between Friday, 22 March, and Friday, 5 April, there will be an increase in visible policing initiatives and traffic enforcement across the islands. The campaign will focus on persistent road safety offences, including speeding, DUI, and poor, inconsiderate, and distracted driving.
The RCIPS announced the campaign on the same day that the first road death of the year was recorded on Cayman Brac and nine people were killed on the roads last year. The police said this was part of their continued commitment to promoting road safety, especially during periods of increased road activity.
“We know Easter is a special time of year here in the Cayman Islands, where families and friends come together, commuting from district to district to socialise, while visitor numbers are up”, said Chief Superintendent Brad Ebanks.
“This is why the officers will be out in numbers over this period, proactively focusing on those that demonstrate disregard for the law and endanger other road users. The main objective here is not to prosecute persons but rather create safer roads for everyone. Motorists tend to do the right thing when they know police officers are out and about.”
Policing efforts will target known hotspots and times of day and night when poor driving behaviour is most prevalent.
“The community can expect to see increased police visibility on the roads over the length of the campaign”, said Inspector Andre Tahal, Head of Traffic and Road Policing. “Ultimately, our enforcement efforts are about keeping our roadways safe. Persons can play their part in supporting police efforts by not drinking and driving, slowing down and being considerate of fellow road users. And passengers, you have a role to play too — call out unsafe driving behaviour when you see it.”
While the police focus on primary road safety offences, the campaign will also include partner agencies such as DVDL and the Public Transport Dept, who will be targeting unroadworthy vehicles and unsafe loads.
The Easter campaign is the first of a number of targeted road safety campaigns this year that will aim to reduce serious injury and fatalities on the roads, the RCIPS said. These operations are being conducted in conjunction with the National Road Safety Strategy, ‘Safe Roads, Safe Cayman: The Road to Zero’.
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
Category: Crime, Crime Prevention
Only thing Easter related so far is death, but rising from this is unlikely. RCIPS traffic, you’re ineffective.
Another campaign? Just do your jobs. An example – I’ve been driving behind the police recently and noticed cars with one headlamp, different colour headlamps (green and blue) car driving at night with no headlamp, headlamps pointing into oncoming traffic. People (including police) not signaling or signaling at the last minute when beginning the turn. And Shamrock road is like a race track. I’ve now concluded the RCIPS is NOT going to get any better at policing, and those breaking the laws know this too!
On Thursday evening 6:30PM, a vehicle overtook me on the segment between Yacht Club and John Jefferson connector at over 100MPH! The radar sign was flashing 99 which indicates over range for the radar!! Black BMW went completely out of sight in less than 10 seconds. Where are the road patrols when this nonsense is going on?
Shamrock Rd. to Linford Pearson earlier on the same day, PWD vehicle running 78MPH going Westbound. ENFORCEMENT?? Yeah, right!
Maybe the traffic cops could educate those drivers who sit in the outside lane from Countryside to Hurley’s that it’s driving without consideration for the rest of us. And while they are at it get a grip of the lunatic drivers who occupy the wheels of the trucks going backwards and forwards to Georgetown.
It’s not just no consideration, it’s contrary to the Cayman Road Code. Page 19, drive in the left lane unless overtaking or preparing to turn right. Drivers should return to the left lane when safe to do so.
Dear RCIPS,
Please have an officer with a speed detecting gun set up next to the West Bay Fire Station at the Cemetary Beach parking lot. Driving into West Bay, just before the Fire Station, there is a 30 MPH sign. It is 30 MPH all the way up to the West Bay 4 way stop. I walk my dog on that strip of West Bay Road and the drivers that come through there doing over 50-60 MPH (in both directions) is shocking! That stretch of road has blind corners, is mostly solid white line down the middle (meaning no overtaking) and is a residential area with plenty of pedestrians on either side. Pedestrians have been hit crossing the street there and there seems to be an accident on that stretch every week, with speeding cars running into walls and flipping over. Please get people to slow down on the northern end of West Bay Road!
Signed,
Concerned Citizen
Just get used to the poor driving standards here and the pretend traffic cops. They are already doing the best they ever will.
I was trying to think where Easter Road was, other than in Edinburgh.
Waste of time. People just cant drive simple
Meh. A few speeding tickets from shady roadside speed traps, a few poor folks stopped for DUI while the rich fat cats get away with it nightly and daily for brunch.
No fines for illegal parking, window tint, loud music, tailgaiting, and certainly no speed traps for the early morning and 5pm maniacs.
Business as usual. Pass the rum and mind those moving light poles.
Here we go again. The priority needs to be gun and violent crime, not this point scoring, fine raising nonsense.
All are priorities. Lawlessness begins with the driving.
I think you’ll find lawlessness is a little bit older than the motor vehicle.
This is the problem – all CANNOT be priorities. It’s that simple. Focus has to be on those who are intent on inflicting serious harm on others.
why not do this everyday…
Work? Everday?! Have you ever actually interacted with the JDF FKA RCIPS? We’re lucky they even show up 4 times a year for major holiday weekend speed traps. The whole lot of them need to be flushed. A while back with the assignment of the new CoP, someone suggested they should have made everyone re-apply for their jobs and go through a proper, modern assessment/background check/etc. We (“allegedly” 🙄) have literal criminals in our police force, with close (read: familial) ties to the gangs both here and in Jamaica.
For clarity: there absolutely are corrupt Caymanian cops as well, but that does not mean we should continue to import corruption as well. Also yes, we absolutely have corrupt UK cops as well. The reality is, there is no such thing as a good cop as long as they allow bad cops to exist within their ranks. None of them can be trusted currently.
The carmageddon will continue until morale improves.
“Call out unsafe driving behaviour when you see it”…yeah right, to whom? Who is going to be in proximity, on shift, where on the island are they, and is there any chance of them putting keys in ignition to do anything? My thoughts every single Sunday as the noise of bypass enduro races fill the air. Sanctioned through inaction by RCIPS.
Literally every day on Shamrock Speedway, every Sunday anywhere coming from East to West. Every day at red lights, stop signs, roundabouts. Nothing is done. They have no interest in enforcing the laws. In fact, they are very often the ones breaking the laws themselves.
Now ask who we are supposed to report them to, when they have a long history of retaliation against anyone willing to put their neck on the line and report their slackness back to CoP, ombudsman, etc.
We are paying for a full-time Service, not seasonal Campaigns. Will the RCIPS ever meet the public’s basic performance expectations? ie. showing up for work every day.
Can’t wait to get blind drunk and crash into the nearest light pole. Whoma gonna call? Wayne Panton!…..oh wait a minute….
Every other person shows up to do their job and doesn’t expect a quarterly “operation give us praise for doing our jobs”
Like another commenter said I have zero respect for the RCIPS these days. These “operations” are extremely cringe worthy when all you can hear from them is that we’re banning football and releasing gunman suspects on bail.
Stop with these dumb “operations” and just do what you signed up for! I have never heard of someone being ticketed for failing to indicate on a roundabout but everyone and their mudda got a ticket for doing 52.
I don’t think most of our police officers can read, so if you know someone involved in the police farce please pass this on –
YOU ARE ALLOWED TO POLICE THE ROADS OUTSIDE OF MAJOR HOLIDAYS!
AND USE ROUNDABOUTS PROPERLY
Are the downvotes because you don’t want them to police the roads?!
no respect for the police farce after the jon-jon incident.
Don’t forget about Baron.
Another win for the RCIPS.