Traffic cops say excessive speeding continues
(CNS): Drivers in Cayman are still causing a major headache for the traffic police, especially in the Eastern Districts, after another targeted operation by the RCIPS found drivers doing double the speed limit even in 50mph zones. Between 14 and 24 January, police were out in East End and North Side as a result of complaints by residents in the district of rogue road users. During two weekend operations, police stopped 69 drivers for speeding, including two for travelling at more than twice the speed limit.
Three drivers were also arrested for DUI and another ten people were prosecuted for various other offences, such as careless driving, excessive tint, driving without being qualified, driving with expired registration and driving with no insurance.
“These targeted operations will continue going forward as part of our overall strategy to reduce unsafe driving behaviour across the islands,” said Acting Superintendent Brad Ebanks. “As the numbers show, there are many motorists who continue to speed and drive dangerously in these areas. They should be warned that our officers are out and will prosecute them if they are caught breaking the law.”
Inspector Dwayne Jones from the traffic unit said the speed limit is higher in several areas in the Eastern Districts than in other parts of the island.
“That still does not give drivers licence to exceed it excessively,” he said. “It is also important for persons to remember that there are several residential areas in East End and North Side and speed limits do change from time to time. Therefore, motorists should ensure they are paying attention to speed limit signs and obeying them. Doing so is for your own safety and the safety of everyone who lives in, works in and visits the area.”
The targeted operations continue in the future.
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
I have a question for RCIPS Traffic Department: the plethora of wheeled vehicles I see traversing the public roads and rights of ways of recent, which do not appear to be licensed which means they are not insured, when one of those damages my vehicle or even worse causes bodily harm, who will be responsible for the costs? I was almost in an accident with a bike yesterday that has a gasoline motor, two wheels, overtook a car behind me and almost crashed into me, on the LP while I was doing 39 MPH.
A big shout out to the A-Hole who was tailgating me this morning on the LP Bypass with his LED bar light blinding everyone but him. Clearly compensating for something, poor boy.
I’m more concerned and sexual assaults, stabbings, murders and burglaries.
Well since the traffic department doesn’t deal with those crimes you can still be concerned about both at the same time..
I was one of those that got fined for speeding in EE…going 40 in a 25. What the article did not say is that the police were parked less than 100 yards from the 50 mph sign. So as I was speeding up to go to the new limit, I was ticketed. While I am guilty of exceeding the speed limit (although 100 yards short of complying), it was a classic speed trap and again, an example of the police doing as little as possible to collect a few fines.
Definitely the dumbest comment concerning traffic.
Idiot !!
Yes George. If you’re a highly skilled driver, you can drive at 50mph around South Sound in the wet, at night. Your driving skills are totally respected by physics, and should you need to stop in a hurry, the car will definitely stop as needed.
Please stop talking nonsense.
The driving standards here are below terrible. As pointed out elsewhere, the idiots cannot control their vehicles below the posted limit, let alone at speed.
Police speed in squad cars all the time…they above law …as is govt…
There is a guy driving a white Honda CRV with Florida plates, see him all the time. I would bet that he could drive for years without being stopped.
I saw someone driving around with Japanese plates last week, and lots without any plates at all.
Yep, there is a woman with a white AUDI in our Seven Mile Beach Corridor complex who has been driving for the past year with no license plates at all.
Amazing.
Black Kia Picanto, UK plates. It’s been driving around for months at least!
Points system and fines. 2 points for every episode of speeding with a $2K fine. 6 points and you lose your license for 1-year. 20 mph over the limit license gone for 2-years. You have to get more aggressive on the punishments to save lives.
We have pages and pages of laws and regulations with fines and sanctions. We’ve installed a battalion of over 400 full-time and overtime-billing paid officers, given them the latest equipment and two composite “stealth” helicopters, yet they are disinterested in executing their full remit of Public Trust functions. Adding more duties to the RCIPS domestic ignore list won’t fix this.
As the payees/benefactors of these service receivables, they’ve sworn to provide, we need to enquire why they are failing to perform so many critical functions. The current CoP should be in the hot seat. What are these 400 police officers doing day-to-day and for paid overtime? Are they productively solving crimes? Which ones? We see their parties, but where is their public report?
Can anyone make sense of this:
https://www.rcips.ky/organisational-chart
A Disorganizationsl Chart. Amazing how many positions are unfilled or “acting”. Why doesn’t the economic crime department have a public integrity unit? Don’t see anyone with that responsibility.
So many already don’t have licenses or permanent addresses or bank accounts. Or bought their passing drivers’ test. Also have jail experience. The only answer is flogging.
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.
It is a private company. The Jamaican gang
Greasing money-motivated police officers to look away isn’t the path to the first world.
Go back to sleep George
The polices and practices of the NRA continue to prioritize the safety of reckless and speeding drivers over the innocent pedestrian, cyclist or roadside resident, especially in 25 mph zones.
Headline should read:
“Public laments excessive speeding continues, despite fully-financed and commissioned RCIPS Traffic Unit”
The cops can’t be allowed to gaslight their employers like this. The public are the ones that pay >400 full-time salaries and overtime, yet suffer from persistently degraded confidence in law enforcement.
Well said! The excessive speeding and all other poor driving habits are fueled by the glaring lack of consistent enforcement, for decades now!
Real drivers tests would help more than tickets.
Just to add a little balance there are some pretty stupid changes in speed limits, thinking of the one past Shetty hospital going from 50 to 25, wouldn’t be hard to get written up for ‘twice the speed limit’ 10 yards across the line. Sure you can anchor up as you cross the limit but don’t be surprised if you get another car parked in your trunk. It’s much safer to have graduated changes, 50-40-25, but then I guess safety would have to be the goal.
Mobile speed cameras is the answer.
Do you imagine the most reckless drivers have the car registered in their name or cash to pay fine? All speed cameras do is make everyone else drive along watching their speedo and not the road. So no thanks.
That’s the stupidest reply I have ever seen. If the registered owners have to pay the fines I bet they’ll think twice about lending out the car, or watch it closer so that no one else in the family who may be uninsured or unlicensed borrows it. When you look at your speed are you staring at it long enough to wreck? No. You glance and go on your way. Speed trap cameras would be an excellent solution to these idiot drivers.
Your faith in the accuracy of the vehicle database is laughable
Lol. Half these POS Hondas doing double the limit are registered to people who left island years ago!
20 years ago they started covering the UK in speed cameras. Driving standards fell noticeably at the same time. Few people use their mirrors much any more and most people just dribble along at the speed limit irrespective of conditions. So I agree focusing on nothing but speed is aparently counterproductive although I guess it gives the frothers something to cheer.
I think they also need to act against the people who drive ridiculously below the speed limit. These morons encourage people to drive dangerously.
In fairness, they don’t yet have their driver’s licenses. They don’t know that kph on their speedo is a whole different measurement than our mph signage. Bless.
9.09 – No, you just pass them when it is safe to do so.
teenagers learning to drive, visitors getting used to drive on the wrong side, elderly who are very cauteous, sick people driving to a doctor, etc…many reasons while people are driving slowly. Cooperation is required on the road.
9:09, You must be a moron if you don’t realize how many tourists / visitors drive slowly because they are getting use to driving on the wrong side and also find it intimidating entering our roundabouts that they don’t know.
The solution is so darn simple and so darn easy- DRACONIAN FINES and license forfeture.
If you’re caught speeding in Norway, expect to pay a $3,000 fine on your ticket. Norway levies a fine of 10% of your annual income for speeding tickets. Alongside the fine, Norwegian law imposes a mandatory minimum 18-day jail sentence for speeds deemed excessive.
What makes you think they have a license?
Jail time and hefty fine will teach them a lesson, licensed or not
Sure, but we already have a theoretical fine and consequence list. If a tree falls in the forest…
$3000 dollar fines and 1 year automatic suspension with vehicle seizure for 6 month. Then the public will be protected
And they still hand out over 20,000 fines a year. It doesn’t stop people speeding, it just mostly stops people with large incomes speeding. When the real cost of excessive speed in junk cars by unskilled drivers is the risk of a fatal crash why do you imagine a fine is going to stop them?
20,000 fine per one person?
Read what is written. 20,000 fines! Not a fine of 20,000.
Excessive littering and illegal dumping continues also… Without fear of prosecution.
Of course when you important 3rd world mentalities….. Filipinos, Indians, Hondurans and Jamaicans.
Some UK folks got the same mentality don’t partial them either.
Lots of UK and Canadian chain smokers flicking their butts from every patio where they also aren’t allowed to smoke. Why are we still selling cigarettes in 2022?
And a fair amount of our own home grown Caymanians also.
Bla bla bla. Every time the police FRU trucks let alone a normal police car in cayman drives near me on a roundabout they don’t indicate, use the inner most available lane on a highway, or drive properly. We meant to respect the, when they can’t obey basic road laws?
Banana republic with no bananas
George, I hate to say this, but can’t you slow down your thinking process so it emits some common sense at least.
Said Ayrton Senna…
I mean fairs fair really considering the scales of justice, – why should I be pulled for a speeding and fined heavily when not having caused harm to anyone when potentially I could physically assault someone and only be handed a curfew 🤷🏻♀️
You foreigners need to shut up as there is nothing wrong with going a little fast. Leave Cayman and go back to your home.
Idiot
I’m guessing you got pulled for speeding over the weekend.
Unlikely
Easy fix, 3 strikes in 6 months and lose licence for 3 years. It’s obvious fines are no deterrent.
7.23pm Banning drivers has no affect, they carry on driving – check the stats
Then they spend time at HM Prison Northward.
And send their car(s) to the crusher.
Or… Confiscate it Until all fines are paid. Crushing cars because a driver sucks isn’t very smart.
At some point the penalty should include impounding the vehicle!
You’re right. Sadly most of the idiots doing 70+ can barely drive safely below the speed limit either.
Install speed cameras. Can’t renew registration or transfer ownership of vehicle until fines are paid.
Gets ris of most of the problem.
But that would reduce employment of people that do nothing LOL…
2 of these drivers get banned for life if double the limit right?
Probably not.
You didn’t think that through. The offender may not own the vehicle, it is no fault of the owner or vehicle, it is the person controlling it.
Then they should make sure they know the driving status of who they lend it out to. In the meantime, make them pay the fines.
General public say excessive violent crime continues, Police do nothing.
New penalties need to be introduced into law to curb this horrific display of driving by road users.
As follows:
Speeding fines should start at a miminum of $250.00 for one MPH over the posted limit.
Eg. 40 MPH ZONE @ 51 MPH = $250. For each MHP over the limit thereafter an additional $25.00.
Between the hours of 6:30am and 9:00am when most children are on the roads for school, fines are automatically doubled, regardless of zone.
School Zones are automatically doubled regardless of time of day.
Between the hours of 3:00pm and 6:30pm, fines are doubled regardless of zone.
If a driver is in excess of double the limit, regardless of the posted limit, fines are doubled. A points system should be in place. A three time offender is an automatic disqualification of driving privileges for a MINIMUM of 12 months. To regain a licence, the driver must undergo 20 hours of driving instruction from a recognised provider, and sit the exam, and practical again.
A person who is caught under the influence of alcohol or drugs, regardless of speed, is automatically disqualified from driving for a MINIMUM of 24 months. Again, they must undergo a 20 hour driving course and repeat the process of obtaining a license.
Laws have to have teeth. And the teeth have to be be used.
When it hurts the pocket more.. Lessons are learned.
Speeding is just one small part of bad driving. Why the obsession with punishing it? Driving in the wrong lane round roundabouts causes far more crashes than someone doing 1 mph over an arbitrary number.
This weekend was non-stop track racing and wheelies up and down the ETH for hours and hours without any visible opposition. Barely a minute of peace before the next set. We could all hear these cars and donor-cycles red-lining up through all their their gears, resonating and echoing for many miles before and after, in what should have been peaceful hours.
Pardon us for asking, but how is Brad Ebanks’ traffic department supposed to work? Does Brad think these normal duties and well-financed department, that we pay for, is only available by special request? Are residents supposed to complain or plea to their MLA that there still aren’t EVER police officers doing their assigned work?!? What is the chain of command and how do we fix this once and for all?
Most North American traffic cops will log 50 tickets or more in a productive normal shift. I don’t know how an entire department can be pleased with just 69 tickets *territorially* over two entire weekends. Even if it was just Brad Ebanks and Dwayne Jones doing this work, it’s a fail.
Bobo exemption
50 tickets a shift? Nonsense.
on the basis it takes 20 minutes to process a ticket it is nonsense.
Traffic duty in LA county (2009-2016) averages 25/officer/shift for hazardous moving violations (HMVs). That doesn’t count all the other “low-fruit” encountered. Busy beats are over 50 per officer.
I know right? Cayman is just like LA!
true
in an unmarked patrol car, you could go 8 hours and ticket cars for speeding and reckless driving continuously by just doing laps between ALT and Camana Bay roundabouts
They always seem to be surprised by stuff that has gone on for years. We are in the top ten in the world for the number of cops per capita and we can’t even get speeding under control on one piece of road.
Kudos to the acting superintendent for stepping enforcement up! The blatant disregard for the speed limits is totally out of hand now. Residential street does limits are being broken at all hours of the day. South Sound Road has become the fast track alternative route and residents are fed up with these dangerous drivers.
Speeding and overtaking with speeding is occurring daily on South Sound road and Walker’s road. Speeds likely in excess of 80 kph are seen daily and especially on weekends.
A motorist, cyclist, runner, biker, pedestrian or pet is at extreme risk on these roads due to the ignorance of the drivers using these roads.
I drive every day in one of the worst cities in the US known for fast driving. When I was on holiday, on the small roads, I could not believe the speed and the overtaking some were doing. The roads there are not meant for speed like that and the overtaking to get one car ahead. The near miss accidents I witnessed just driving a mile or two down the road, no matter day or night, were numerous.
4.47pm It’s mph in the Cayman Islands.
You mean 40 freedom units per hour.
Thank you. Please keep it up. All day, every day.
I don’t understand why some parts of two lane residential road in NS are 50 mph zones, but the triple lane highway in GT is a 40.
How many vehicles were impounded?
No bobo rides impounded