56 crashes a week as police re-examine speeding, DUI enforcement

With police attending an average of 56 car crashes a week in 2022, the RCIPS admits it is having to re-examine how to enforce road traffic safety in Cayman.

Last year, 2,915 motor vehicle collisions were reported, 14 of which were fatal and involved the deaths of 15 people. Throughout the year, 32 others were seriously injured in crashes, many of which involved speeding or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, police said.

During 2022, police made just 234 DUI arrests –  a drop of 37% compared to 2021. There was also a decrease of 18% in the number of speeding tickets issued, from 3,730 in 2021 to 3,063 last year.

Police Commissioner Derek Byrne, speaking at a press briefing on the annual crime and traffic statistics on 14 April, said the reduction in the issuance of speeding tickets and DUI arrests at a time when traffic accidents had increased by 11%, was “forcing us to look at the way we’re conducting our enforcement operations”.

He said police were hearing that the standard of driving in Cayman was making people fearful to use the roads.

“What we’re seeing is consistent, really bad, erratic driving on our public roadways that is impacting the safety of our road users right across the island,” he said.

Byrne said police have been “refocusing our efforts on DUI and, indeed, speed but there is lot more to be done”.

This will involve more roadblocks and checks, as well as the eventual introduction of speed cameras, the commissioner said.

He added that the solution does not only lie with the police, it is also the responsibility of drivers, as well as other government agencies, with whom the RCIPS will be working on “a whole-of-government joined-up approach to dealing with road safety and the national safety strategy for the Cayman Islands”.

He noted that the extra manpower placed on the streets, and at traffic checkpoints, to help combat spates of armed robberies had had an impact on enforcement of traffic offences last year.

Byrne said the RCIPS was looking at speed cameras as part of a national road safety strategy, but cautioned, “It’s not a case of just directing cameras in there, and the problem is solved. It’s a huge ICT project. The benefits would be immense, and it’s a work in progress.

He added that there is no timeline as yet for the implementation of the speed-camera system.

Traffic offence tickets

Throughout 2022, police handed out more than 9,400 traffic offence tickets, according to the latest RCIPS statistics.

On average, drivers who were issued with speeding tickets were travelling at 17 miles per hour over the speed limit. In seven instances, the recorded speed was greater than 80 mph.

Police say the reduction in the drink-drive blood/alcohol limit from 0.10% to 0.07%, as well as road safety campaigns, may have had “a positive impact on reducing prevalence within the community”, as well as additional resources deployed to the eastern districts.

According to the RCIPS 2022 statistics, approximately 60% of all DUI offences involved drivers who were at least double the 0.07% drink-drive limit. In 22% of cases, drivers were three times over the limit. And in 44% of DUI cases, there was a collision involved.

Byrne said the 14 fatal accidents in Cayman last year was “a red flag issue for all of us here, for the community, for the police, for … road users in the Cayman Islands”.

He added, “The significant underlying factors in these fatal traffic accidents, as we see through our analysis, is speed and driving under the influence.”

He said many of the incidents are single-vehicle collisions in the early hours of the morning, which, he added, raised “real concern for the manner of driving across the island”.