SPEEDING PERSISTS DESPITE RECORD TICKETING

Despite a record increase in speeding tickets issued to drivers, speeding - and the resulting accidents - continues to plague the Cayman Islands, especially on Grand Cayman.

With just two months left in the year, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) have issued more tickets so far this year than all of last year. To date, drivers exceeding the speed limits have been slapped with over 4,000 speeding tickets, an increase of just over 30% - or more than a third - compared to the 2022 total which was 3,063.

At recent RCIPS community meetings, speeding has been one of the key topics raised by members of the public. Commissioner of Police, Kurt Walton and his officers, received calls from attendees for greater police presence and increased ticketing in order to reduce speeding.

“The complaint of speeding is nationwide”, said CoP Walton. “As I have said before, we cannot ticket our way out of this problem”. On explaining the significant increase in speeding tickets issued this year, along with increased road policing presence CoP Walton noted that the numbers speak for themselves. Officers are delivering on community demands, however, people still speed, he noted.

“As a community, we must take responsibility to change our behaviour when we get behind the wheel. If every driver applied the following basic rules and advice, the result would be less collisions and less fatalities on our roads”.

According to Commissioner Walton, “We know ticketing isn’t going to solve the problem. Education resulting in changing driving behaviour is a lot harder to achieve. It’s not a quick fix, but it is a key to success.”

This forms part of the vital work the RCIPS is contributing to alongside our Cayman Islands Government colleagues, as part of the National Road Safety Strategy (NRSS)”, says CoP Walton. 

The RCIPS reports that it is working with partners, including the NRA, 911, Fire, and DVDL to develop and deliver NRSS outputs which aim to ultimately reduce road fatalities, but also improve the roading network, improve traffic legislation, enhance enforcement, and improve the overall driving experience in the Cayman Islands over the coming years.

The RCIP is urging drivers to adhere to the speed limit. “In the short term, there is something we can all do to improve the driving experience for all road users. That is to slow down. Until we do, we will continue to see collisions and in the worst cases, serious injuries and fatalities on our roads.”

Remember:

* Slow down, drive to the speed limits and the road conditions.

* Don’t overtake when it’s not safe to do so, or illegal to do so.

* Follow roundabout rules and indicate your turns

* Don’t allow yourself to be distracted while driving, put your phone down.

* Be patient when driving. Think of other road users and your passengers every time you get behind the wheel. The roads are to be shared, and road rules are to be respected.