Cayman’s roads have seen a hike of more than 40% in the average weekly number of vehicle collisions over the past two weeks, according to the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service.
As the Christmas season approaches, the frequency of crashes is rising, from an average of 66 a week from January to September and 73 a week in October to now 94 a week over the past two weeks. That number, averaging 13 accidents a day, represents a record-high average, police say.
Although the “vast majority” of these crashes appear to be damage-only or minor collisions, nine people have died on local roads this year, the RCIPS said in a statement on Tuesday. Many of the collisions involved careless driving, speeding and driving under the influence.
The average number of crashes per week reported to police in 2023 was 61 or about nine a day.
Hot spots
According to police, the majority, approximately 70%, of this year’s crashes occurred in George Town, mainly along West Bay Road, North Sound Road, Esterley Tibbetts Highway and Shamrock Road, “all of which also have the key issue of speeding”.
Six people died in three separate fatal collisions on Shamrock Road between May and July this year. Government has since announced plans to install a roundabout and other traffic calming measures on the stretch of Shamrock Road where the fatal crashes occurred.
In a “significant number of these collisions”, the drivers fled the scene of the accident, the RCIPS said.
‘Arrive Alive 345’ campaign
In an effort to cut down on the number of crashes, police say they are encouraging people in the run up to the Christmas season not to drink and drive and to have a plan in place to get home safely following festivities.
They are also calling on drivers to reduce their speed on the roadways, “give 100% of your attention to driving”, and stay off mobile phones while behind the wheel.
The RCIPS says it is again this year partnering with the National Drug Council and Compass Media for the ‘Arrive Alive 345’ campaign to promote road safety.
“This means stressing the importance of making good decisions, and highlighting the severe community impact which can occur when we make poor driving decisions, as is shown with the six fatal collisions that have taken place this year so far, which resulted in the death of nine persons,” police said, adding, “One of these incidents took place in November, and marks the first fatal collision since July.”
Nikhil Rajput, a 32-year-old lab technician at Health City, died on 9 Nov. after being struck by a car on Sea View Road near the hospital as he walked to work the day before.
Chief Superintendent Brad Ebanks said police hoped that, as the holiday season progresses, motorists and other road users would adapt better driving behaviours on the roadways.
“For the remainder of the year, our aim is to ensure that everyone remains unharmed and safe,” he said in the RCIPS statement. “To this end, we ask that the public assist us by being our eyes and ears, send us dash cam footage that captures poor driving behaviours, so that we may tailor our response to the occurrences on our road way.”
The RCIPS said members of the public who submit dash cam footage to the police may also assist in the prosecution of offenders by providing a statement to the police. Otherwise, footage can be submitted anonymously to www.rcips.ky/submit-a-tip.
“The RCIPS would like to thank the members of our community who continue to ensure their safety and the safety of others by making good driving decisions and driving defensively. This means driving cautiously, following the rules of the road, and being aware of your surroundings so that you can identify and avoid dangerous road situations,” police said.
For more tips on safe driving, visit www.rcips.ky/safe-driving-tips.
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