Traffic cops begin another targetted road crackdown
(CNS): The RCIPS Traffic and Roads Policing Unit launched a new road safety campaign on Monday, which will last until Sunday, 7 July. Traffic police will conduct high-visibility initiatives and traffic enforcement across the islands, focusing on persistent road safety offences and poor driving behaviour, including speeding, DUI, inconsiderate and distracted driving. As Cayman continues to battle a disproportionate number of crashes, five people have already lost their lives on the roads this year.
The campaign will include partner agencies, such as the Department of Vehicles and Drivers’ Licensing and the Public Transport Unit, which will target unroadworthy vehicles and unsafe loads, as these factors also contribute to unsafe roads.
“We are centering this campaign on the 1 July long weekend and other social events during this period across the island, including the carnival parade,” said Chief Superintendent Brad Ebanks. “Officers will be out in numbers over this period. We will be proactively focusing on those that demonstrate [a] disregard for the law and endanger other road users.”
He said the police would also have a visible presence to remind and reinforce the public of the need to practice good driving habits. “Motorists tend to do the right thing when they know police officers are out and about,” he added.
Inspector Andre Tahal, who heads the traffic unit, urged people to make sure their plans for the next few weeks include how to travel safely if they are going to be drinking.
“The community can expect to see increased police visibility on the roads over the length of the campaign, particularly surrounding events where we know persons will be drinking, along with other hot spots,” he warned. “All drivers should play their part by not drinking and driving, slowing down and being considerate of fellow road users.”
He said that passengers have a role to play, too, and urged them to “call out unsafe driving behaviour when you see it, even if it is the driver of the vehicle you’re travelling in who is not in compliance with the law”.
The RCIPS said it continues to promote road safety, especially during periods of increased road activity, and work with its government partners to support the National Road Safety Strategy, “Safe Roads, Safe Cayman: The Road to Zero.”
Cayman has a very high rate of collisions, many involving serious injury and fatalities. In 2023, there were 3,196 collisions on local roads, the most ever recorded by police and an 11% increase from 2022, when 14 people were killed. The RCIPS documented an average of 61 crashes per week in which nine people died and 24 were seriously injured. Police also recorded a whopping total of 10,716 traffic offences, a 14% increase on the previous year.
Meanwhile, McKeeva Bush MP (WBW), supported by Chris Saunders MP (BTW), has filed a private member’s motion calling for the government to reduce speed limits and introduce speed calming measures on all roads, increase fines for speeding, increase surveillance and enforcement, and roll out speed cameras that can clock speeds and trigger the issuing of administrative tickets.
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Category: Crime, Crime Prevention, Police
I have a really good idea. Hear me out.
How about if the RCIPS conduct their “crackdowns” and not tell us about it?
Good idea #2:
How about if the RCIPS don’t drive around at night lit up to warn criminals from miles away that they are coming? How would that be?
HHahahahahahahahahahhahah………heeeheheheheheheee
People who put their emergency lights on when stopping at a flashing pedestrian crossing should be arrested and locked up.
no respect for the police farce after the jon-jon incident.
free money making solution:
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.
We need to performance audit the 400+ full time officers we are already paying for, and trim the obstructive top-heavy too-good to show up managers. ie. Pray tell what does this Traffic Department do, every day, when there isn’t a Traffic Enforcement Press Release issued? Cut the waste.
Shut up already! We need you to leave this island with half the RCIPS!
In the very long and illustrious history of terrible ideas that is right up there.
What are RCIPS going to “crack down” on? With the possible exception of the FRU most of them don’t know how to drive and have never read the road code either.
What is it with people driving with four way flashers on? Trucks with flashing lights all over etc.
Every day I witness;
Vehicles driving in the dark with no lights
People on phones
Speeding trucks with very noisy engine brakes
Trailers with no license plates
Trucks with passengers in the truck bed
Leaf blower operators blowing debris into the roads
Hurleys roundabout clogged with cars trying to get into coned lanes
Impatient drivers blowing horns at cyclists because there is not enough room to pass
People crossing multiple lanes to exit a roundabout without any signal
Idiots driving moving sound systems at 200db with windows open (presumably because they want everyone to hear what they are listening to).
Kids in back seats with no belts on
Poor lane discipline
Trailer being towed with four way flashers on for no reason
People driving at 15 mph in the outside lane
And probably many more
Failure to indicate intentions is rife. Stopping or parking in roundabout or double yellow is supposed to be $1500 fine. Sunday drag races. The RCIPS Traffic Unit hasn’t read the Traffic Law and should have their whole dept on the back of the “have you seen” milk carton.
But their focus is on speeding during work hours. I swear the more officers we get from a certain jurisdiction, the more laughable the RCIPS becomes. It shows that most officers barely have the basic grammar skills. SMH
The coddled senior managers, historically UK and and Caymanian, are all pulling in 6 figure salaries and perks, sitting in an office or running a different business, and they hire min wage Jamaicans to do the grunt police work that is beneath them. There is little training or instruction. No performance criteria. Case in point, the Traffic Unit has to issue a press release twice a year that they are going on shift. We pay >$200mln a year for this.
why is this a temporary effort?
Because it’s shambolic effort to make the public think they are actually doing something.
because there are like rampant crime, which i for one would much much rather the police be focused on. A big part of the problem is our force spends 90% of their time policing drivers.
LTD da unboozler
They aren’t doing that either. Any number times zero is zero.
Wouldn’t take much, offer the cops $25 for each conviction and the roads will soon be a much safer place.
No they wouldn’t. You’d just find yourself getting fined for no reason.
There are plenty of infractions they ignore everyday, I’m sure they would be far too busy with those.
They don’t know what those are. That would require reading comprehension.
touché
Can we FOI the average education level of the RCIPS officers classed by recruiting jurisdiction? Most don’t know when to use he or him they tend to use them inversely.
Or $50 to turn a blind eye! Plus they should be chasing criminals not $$$.
I’ve seen in the last few days, vehicles with no plates, a car being driven by someone smoking ganja, dump trucks with headlight missing, pickup truck driving like a crab the chassis was so bent, numerous people texting while driving and this is usually going through traffic lights.
Do RCIPS know what a crackdown means and what it entails?
They don’t. The politician’s best solution is to lower the speed limit, on island where traffic is almost at a stand still at intersections. People already drive 10 -15 mph below the limit, but in the same breath want to fix traffic. The statistics the RCIPS release are equivalent to what a primary school student come up with. Out of the 3196 collisions, how many included excessive speeds and what is the average speed recorded for accidents? What time of the day or night do these fatal accidents happen? Once these questions are answered you’ll realize that the RCIP is a joke and has no solution to the traffic problems other than to obstruct the natural flow and target persons for 5 mph over all for cash.
Fix public transportation as a public priority and take drivers off the roads.
The less drivers on the road at any given time, the safer our roads will be, the less drunk drivers we’ll have and we’ll all be better off in terms of parking and pollution.
Kenny got it, fret not.
Any comment on breathalysing drivers who crash into lamp posts late at night Mr Ebanks?
this is the only question.
As usual they ignore the elephant in the room. Over half the drivers on our roads have never taken a real driving test.
Also, can someone please read a copy of the Cayman road code to all RCIPS drivers. None of them seem to have any clue what lane they are supposed to be in.
Its not only that, its that far too many simply dont give a damn about the laws or anyone else.
That is endemic and only real and robust law enforcement can mend it.
Alas, that will never happen, so pass the rum.
Think about how many Police officers will lose their license! They don’t know their head from their tail!
I think what the RCIP’s is saying is if you don’t have a drivers license our Current insuance and Tag you should stay off the road until after July 7. Then everything can go back to normal
Well, due to the stupidity of having 14 month inspection with 12 month licensing, I’ll be on the roads committing an offense for a few weeks, and I really have no doubt it’ll be a breeze.
I’m not sorry, since the back licensing will still be paid, but my, what a mess!
And a fine for not properly displaying your front licence plate, that is having fixed to the front of your vehicle. We are not in Florida.
I agree with actions of introducing speed calming measures on all roads(expect roundabouts), increase fines for speeding, increase surveillance and enforcement, and roll out speed cameras that can clock speeds and trigger the issuing of administrative tickets, BUT reducing the speed limits… makes no sense, unless you looking to make a profitable revenue stream, it just needs enforcement.
Implement a demerit driver’s license system, 3 or 5 demerits for speeding, failing to comply with a traffic sign, license get taken away for 6,9,12,18 months… each incurred demerit carries the increase fines.
And don’t care who agrees with me, BUT windshield tint is MUST,35% tint limit should be dropped to 15%… this UV sunlight beaming through the glass is crazy especially during traffic! I am not on the global-warning bandwagon but is get hot in ya!
Speed cameras are entirely ineffective at reducing accidents and have been discredited in the UK. Many UK police forces have all but abandoned them. Reversion to the mean adequately explains most camera accident data. The most obvious cause of our woeful stats is the lack of any real driving test.
Speed cameras are effective at reducing speed. Average speed cameras for longer stretches. The administration of fines and punishment ‘should’ be easier in a small population. The long term solution has to be the implementing of a proper driving test.
Another, perhaps equally big problem is the vehicle licensing (roadworthiness) and emissions tests.
Wrong. The most obvious is they don’t care about laws or anyone else.
As if the driving isn’t bad enough now you want to concentrate on speed enforcement not actual driving standards. I’m going to hazard a guess you’re one of the terrible drivers who hasn’t got a clue what lane they are supposed to be in.
Where are you living? The Traffic Unit in the Cayman Islands feels it’s necessary to issue a semi-annual press release on when they plan to attend work to address some expression of their full time job, and also when they feel this gesture of performance will go back on break. If this isn’t clear by now, we need to replace the named RCIPS managers, starting with the COP that is underwriting this time theft on the people they swore and pledged to serve.
This is an all-out attack on the working class. When it is so painstakingly obvious that the issue on the roads is not really speeding but rather lack of driver’s education and proper testing. It is just a money grab. In December we can guarantee another targeted crackdown on the same one issue, speeding. how many tickets issued for not indication on round-about, driving 15 mph or more below the limit, People who deliberately block others from merging, no seat belt, parking on the shoulder facing the flow of traffic, and the list goes one. Please RCIPS tell us what else you issue tickets for and how much for offences other than non-excessive “speeding” at peak hours?
Let it be a money grab then. We’re all happy with that, if they are coming off break to do their full-time job for a single week. Obey the rules of the road or get fined, or clear off.
It’s called selective enforcement, the RCIPS’ best attribute!
“Motorists tend to do the right thing when they know police officers are out and about,” he added. Be helpful if you were “out and about” a bit more often then, wouldnt it?
Couldn’t agree more! When dangerous drivers are reported along the road I live we are told there’s nothing they can do as there’s only 2 traffic police.
Should be at least 2 patrolling day and night in each district!! All those police and that’s what we are told?
Get out there and issue those tickets.
Sure. They were running highly visible radar traps this morning on south sound road, disappeared for the day shortly after and cars were overtaking and passing others doing the speed limit at 50 MPH.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
Came here to say this! What an idiotic thing for them to say and not have a light bulb moment about.
Motorists tend to flash their lights at each other to warn of police presence.
Yes, because they’re sat at the bottom of a bridge trying to catch “speeders”. Some common sense will tell you that when travelling down a slope, speed will increase. they are guaranteed to catch people doing insignificant speed above the limit but still decide to ticket persons and lecture them on proper driving. I’ve never seen police abide by the road code.
The RCIPS Traffic Department is doing a targeted crackdown on driving offences. Wow. In related news – bartenders will pour beer, journalists will write news articles and hairdressers will cut hair. I mean – isn’t that supposed to be their job, all of the time? It doesn’t need to be a special operation just do the very thing you’re paid to do.
Issue press release to initiate full-time job function for one week, then rest up for the Purple Ribbon season.
Pull over and impound the dark window tinted vehicles. Make them pay a $500 fine plus removal costs to get their vehicle back. If they don’t pay, sell the vehicle at a public auction.
You could start with a couple of the RCIP’s Vehicles.
No input re the high rate of crashes, just relating to your nosey a$$ wanting to see inside everyone’s vehicle. How does the dark tint impact speeding and crashing?
Everyone just needs to get back back to driving school. It’s not the roads or the vehicles, problem is the simply inconsiderate road users, and that includes the clowns who operate at 20mph in a 50.
Absolutely. Our roads are generally excellent, our weather is generally great, our speed limits and average speeds are low, our vehicle fleet is mostly modern and safe and you’re never more than 10 minutes from a hospital yet despite all that we have accident, injury and death stats almost 10 TIMES worse than Northern Europe. The difference is the drivers who are for the most part untrained and effectively untested.
The clowns that operate at 20 in 50 are mostly people that should not be on the road. They either cannot handle their vehicle at the speed limit due to lack of driving skills or the vehicle is simple not road worthy and unsafe driving at the speed limit or just high or drunk. In any case, they don’t belong on our roads!
I think that’s because a lot of our vehicles are KPH but signs are MPH. Somehow both visitors and many muppets here who passed their driving tests don’t know the difference, they just match the number on the dash to the number on the signs.
Very plausible but they still do not belong on our roads! The RCIPS should pull them down and do a sobriety test and check the vehicle licensing and insurance. A lot of people drive unlicensed, uninsured and under the influence because they KNOW that they will not get pulled over for driving below the limit.
You want to hide your illegal activities while driving without accountability?
During this crackdown, will they be breathalyzing everyone who crashes in to light poles late at night, or just a select group?