Police say that they have so far caught 794 drivers breaking the law in the latest road safety drive, with offences including speeding, unlicensed vehicles and having illegal tint on car windows and windscreen.
Operation Clyro, a regular high-visibility traffic enforcement campaign, held every three months for a two-week period each time, launched on Friday, 27 March, and will last until Sunday, 12 April.
Speeding and tint offences
Speaking on Compass TV’s Daybreak morning show, PC Athelston Watts from the RCIPS Traffic and Roads Policing Unit said 383 people had so far been cited for speeding, with some driving more than 70 mph, while more than 200 people had been caught with illegal tint on their car windows.
“This is a big sore point for the police and for the members of the general public,” he said, explaining that it impairs drivers’ ability to see the roads properly. “Believe it or not, if you sit behind a dark tinted window, it’s harder for you to see what is in front of you.”
The other problem with illegal tint is that the person on the outside is not able to identify who is inside that vehicle, especially when they have their windshield tinted.
Said Watts, “We’ve had cases where we’ve had incidents, and witnesses cannot tell us if it’s a male or a female that’s driving that vehicle. So it’s a big sore point, and we’re begging persons to comply with the law, to make their tints legal.”
In addition, more than 130 people so far have been caught with expired vehicle licences.
With Operation Clyro continuing until 12 April, Watts said, “We are not finished yet.”
He added, “Ideally, what I would love is if we go out there and no one commits an offence, [but] unfortunately, we know that’s not going to be the case, because we have persons who just think that it’s OK to commit these offences. We have prosecuted 794 persons to date, and we are hoping that we won’t have to prosecute any further persons, as long as they comply with our traffic laws.”
Double the speed limit
In the first stage of Operation Clyro, one driver was recorded travelling at over double the speed limit in a 40 mph zone, with a recorded speed of 84 mph. This driver will have to attend court and will likely lose their licence for a minimum of 12 months.
Watts said that while hundreds of people have been prosecuted under Operation Clyro so far, police are also trying to prevent future offences.
“We also educate persons on the different aspects of the traffic law,” he said. “Once we tell them what is required of you as a person who’s using the roads, then hopefully they … will take the necessary action to ensure that they are in compliance with the traffic law.”
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I’ve observed the police in action since this started. Once on WBR & once on Esterley Tibbetts. Bless You as the situation has gotten so bad I am fearful of simply walking from One Canal Point Drive to Foster’s CB irrespective of time of day.
Unfortunately humans are fundamentally driven by selfish impulses, egoism, and a desire for power, necessitating civilization, laws, or education to enforce morality and prevent chaotic “bestial” behavior.
Secondly, if politicians were held accountable for their promises, Cayman would already have a public transportation system just like they have in Bermuda or Barbados.
How many promises has Kenneth Bryan made to fix public transportation, and how many overseas trips has he taken to learn how to do so?
As we have had thousands of drivers exceeding the speed limit every day, this is a start on the problem. However I’m not sure why the police are only doing this every 3 months, does this mean speeders can return to their bad habits for 3 months after April 12th?. I always thought the essence of discouraging speeding is to have random checks?.
Strong enforcement like Operation Clyro is clearly making an impact, with nearly 800 offenders caught—especially around speeding and illegal vehicle conditions.
But the real win will come from consistency—ongoing enforcement and awareness are key to actually changing driver behavior, not just short-term crackdowns.