Police urge drivers to be ‘more responsible’

Police are calling for more responsible driving on Cayman’s roads as more than 575 collisions have already been recorded this year.

Adding to police, the biggest concerns is the growing number of hit-and-run collisions, which totalled 94 in 2021.

“We need to pay a little more attention to how we drive. We have to drive for ourselves and other people. We have to look out for one another,” new Royal Cayman Islands Police Service Traffic and Roads Policing Unit head, Inspector Andre Tahal, said while speaking on the 23 March episode of the Cayman Compass Facebook talkshow ‘The Resh Hour’.

While only 80 of the more than 575 crashes were serious, he said he was concerned overall about the poor driving behaviour on local roads.

“You have to be very alert when driving, especially in slow-moving traffic. We have three lanes now coming down from Savannah and sometimes when people [are] going down the road they [signal]… thinking that you are seeing them, but you might not see them. It needs a little bit of eye contact, to stop and look,” he said, adding, “Pay more attention when you are manoeuvring because that is why you find we have a lot of fender benders and then when they have a minor [motor vehicle accident], it stops most of the traffic.”

Superintendent Brad Ebanks, who leads Operational and Specialist Policing, also appeared on the show and agreed with that assessment, saying there needs to be more defensive driving on the roads.

Four people have already lost their lives on Cayman’s roads this year.

Cellphone use, he added, also contributes to collisions, especially in traffic.

“In slow-moving traffic, vehicles are bumper-to-bumper, you take your eye off [the road] for two seconds and you are in the back of someone. [Use] defensive driving and be very cognisant of where you have to go. Make sure you use your signals and make sure you are very aware of what the [person] is doing next to you to avoid a collision,” Ebanks said.

Both men added that the improper use of roundabouts and people driving on the wrong side of the road add to the collisions. They said educational programmes are planned to assist with these issues.

They both agreed that speeding remains a big problem.

“Do not speed” is the message Ebanks wants drivers to remember.

Since January, more than 1,500 tickets have been issued, with over 700 for speeding.

Under Operation Quaker, from its June 2021 launch to November last year – and which is set to restart soon – over 4,000 tickets were issued, 40% of which were for speeding. Over 115 people were arrested for driving under the influence.

Hit-and-runs

Cayman has already logged three serious hit-and-run accidents for 2022, along with 94 last year.

CCTV has proven to be helpful in investigating collisions and hit-and-run cases, Ebanks said, but it is also up to the driver to be responsible.

“The right thing to do when you get into an accident is to stop; that person’s life may depend on it and it could be the difference between having a serious accident or causing death by dangerous driving or careless driving. If you stop and help that person, that person may survive,” Ebanks said.

Tahal said there are several reasons why drivers may flee the scene of an accident, from drunk driving, to not having insurance, to operating an unlicensed vehicle.

However, the senior officers warned that by running from the scene of a crash, that individual will face more serious charges.

Tahal said when hit-and-run reports are made, the police use all available resources to track down the perpetrators, but the public’s assistance is also critical.

Ebanks again stressed there needed to be a change in driver behaviour.

“We always try the educational part first. We try to educate the public about defensive driving, be aware of your surroundings, be cognisant of what the other person [on the road] is doing, do not speed and do not drink, and do not do both together. It’s a cocktail for disaster,” he said.

Tahal said police are pursing a “positive” line of investigation into the hit-and-run last August on Shedden Road that left a woman seriously injured.

The victim in that collision is still hospitalised.

More officers for eastern districts

Ebanks also announced that starting on Monday, the eastern districts will get additional traffic officers to assist with managing the congestion from motorists travelling from those areas.

“We have just added six traffic officers who will be stationed permanently in the eastern districts. So they will cover the whole Bodden Town district, North Side and East End. Starting on Monday morning you will see that uptick in police presence in the eastern districts… [S]o if you speed from Monday morning onwards and you get caught speeding at 5 o’clock in the morning, you’ve had your warning,” Ebanks said.

He also warned drivers who flick their lights at other drivers to warn them about traffic checks, that they, too, will be prosecuted for obstruction.

By doing this, he said, the errant driver is being enabled. He added that drivers should consider that person they warn could be the same one who crashes into them or their family member one day.