Drivers may only use a mobile phone when their vehicles are moving, or stationary but not parked, if:

The mobile phone is secured in a fixed mounting; or

The mobile phone does not require touch or manipulation by the driver in any way.

Texting, video messaging, online chatting, reading preview messages and emailing are prohibited. Drivers may only hold their phone to pass it to a passenger.

When using the phone to call for help, drivers should first park safely. The law allows drivers to call 911 if it is unsafe or impractical to stop and park.

Following these simple rules saves lives and keeps drivers on the right side of the Traffic Law. It will also save them a $150 ticket.

Distracted Driving Facts and Figures

In the Cayman Islands there were 1245 traffic accidents and five fatalities in 2012. (RCIPS).

While a vehicle is in motion, or stationary but not parked, the Traffic Law 2011 makes it illegal for drivers in the Cayman Islands to handle their phone for any reason other than to give to a passenger.

Eleven percent of all drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes in the United States were reported as distracted at the time of the crash. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted.

Forty percent of all American teens say they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put people in danger. (Pew)

Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (Monash University)

Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted. (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute)

Sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent-at 55 mph-of driving blind the length of an entire (American) football field. (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute)

Headset cell phone use is not substantially safer than hand-held use. (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute)

Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent. (Carnegie Mellon).