From RCIPS

Year to date, RCIPS have issued just over 4,000 speeding tickets. This is an increase of just over 30% on the total number of speeding tickets issued for 2022, 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 (CoP 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.

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

“We know ticketing isn’t going to solve the problem. Education resulting in change in driving behavior 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 are working with partners, including the NRA, 911, Fire, 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. 

In the short term, there is something we can all do to improve the driving experience for all road users – slow down. Until we do, we will continue to see collisions and in the worst cases, serious injuries and fatalities on our roads.