In the first weekend of the police’s ‘Winter Guardian’ holiday road safety campaign, there were 20 accidents, including Sunday’s fatality in Red Bay.
The campaign began on Wednesday, 1 Dec., and police say the number of collisions, DUI and speeding incidents they saw over the weekend is indicative of the start of the holiday season.
“Unfortunately, the number of road incidents and offences this weekend was a telling sign we have entered the festive season, where we traditionally see increased activity on the roads which inevitably leads to more incidents,” Chief Inspector Malcolm Kay said in an RCIPS press release.
As well as responding to 20 collisions, over the weekend, police also made six arrests for suspected DUI, issued 83 speeding tickets, and 46 tickets for offences including tint, cellphone usage and expired registration.
Alden Emelo Ohero Irons, 29, a Jamaican national living in Cayman, was killed in Sunday’s two-vehicle collision on Shamrock Road. Four others were injured in the crash.
Irons’ death brings to nine the number of fatalities on Cayman’s roads so far this year.
“This is the same number we were at this time last year, which is disappointing and indicates that there is still much more work to do in normalising safe driving behaviours,” Inspector Dwayne Jones, head of the Traffic and Roads Policing Unit, said in the release.
He added, “The police alongside emergency services are often the first on the scene at road incidents, and have the solemn task of informing and supporting the families after these tragic events, and I can tell you it’s the hardest part of the job, to tell families that their loved ones are not coming home.”
He implored motorists to be careful on the roads during the holiday season, to make sure their vehicles are road worthy, that they slow down, increase their following distance, and not drink and drive.
“Let’s work together to make sure everyone gets home safely to their families this Christmas,” he said.
Throughout this year, there have been an average of 45 road accidents a week in Cayman, according to RCIPS data.
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Interesting parallels in this and the previous article in this morning’s Compass:
Nine deaths from Covid this year.
Nine deaths from motor vehicle accidents this year.
Government officials pleading, urging and advising citizens to get vaccinated.
Government officials pleading, urging and advising citizens to drive carefully.
It appears that some people just want to defy what experts say is best for them and the rest of their countrymen.
Well, as the saying goes, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”
I have family in Cayman and visit often. The amount of traffic and speeding and insanely dangerous and illegal driving habits of people is APPALLING!