During the police’s three-week Winter Guardian road safety campaign, officers dealt with more than 550 traffic-related incidents, including two fatal collisions, 85 speeding offences and 23 DUIs.
In a press release recapping the campaign, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service said 122 people were prosecuted for using a vehicle without the proper licensing or registration, and 21 were caught using a mobile phone while driving during Winter Guardian, which ran from 16 Dec. to 6 Jan.
Two separate fatal collisions occurred on Boxing Day, bringing to four the number of deadly crashes reported in December. Throughout the entire year, 14 people were killed in 11 crashes on Cayman’s roads.
Following the Boxing Day road deaths, police deployed their current class of recruits from the Training and Development Unit and partnered with Customs and Border Control, “to boost the number of officers available and provide increased presence in our communities during the remainder of the festive season”, the RCIPS said in the release.
Police reported that, although they had a “number of calls for service” throughout New Year’s Eve and into the early hours of 1 Jan., no serious vehicle collisions or violence were reported.
During that night, however, police said, continuous vehicle check points were carried out, and from these, 29 traffic offences were detected, the majority of which were for expired registration of vehicles.
Four people were arrested that night on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. They were booked into custody and each granted bail pending further investigation, the RCIPS said.
Chief Superintendent Brad Ebanks said in the release, “While I believe the majority of road users understand the [importance] of practicing safe driving, there are many who engage in truly bad driving cultures, particularly with regards to drinking and driving and excessive speeding.
“During the course of the campaign we witnessed someone who was tested with a blood alcohol level of over three times the legal limit. One person arrested for DUI was already disqualified from driving due to previous offenses. Our officers also reported arresting one man who was so intoxicated that he was unable to stand while at the Detention Centre. These are some extreme examples of the type of behaviours that must change.”
He noted that the 14 road fatalities last year represented a significant increase over 2023, when nine people were killed on local roads.
“I would like to send my condolences, on behalf of the RCIPS, to all the families who experienced loss throughout last year, as I know the toll that the holiday holds for those who are grieving,” Ebanks said.
“Let us do our endeavour best to enact change throughout this upcoming year and the years ahead, so that we can all be safer on our roads and in our communities.”
He added, “Currently, road fatalities are the largest cause of tragic deaths in the Cayman Islands, and it must be everyone’s priority to do their part to diminish this driving culture. With that said, I would like to give a sincere thank you to the over 4,550 persons who utilized the purple ribbon bus service on New Year’s Eve. You made the choice to be responsible instead of drinking and driving, and helped make the roads safer as a result.”
He extended a special thanks to “all those who made decisions such as providing staff with shuttle services from holiday parties, individuals who made the conscious decision not to drink and drive, persons who acted as designated drivers, the drivers and organisers of the purple ribbon buses, and so many others”.
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It’s then safe to estimate that there were at least the same number of near misses that police didn’t see or record, as there is a glaring lack of proactive police patrols on the roads.