Police net a dozen drunk drivers in George Town
(CNS): Following the arrest of five motorists this weekend for driving while under the influence of alcohol (DUI), the police reported today that the total number of DUI arrests for last week was now twelve people. The latest five arrests were men aged between 23 and 55 who were arrested by uniformed officers in George Town as part of efforts by the police to keep Cayman’s roads safe. Four of the arrests were made Friday night into Saturday morning, while the fifth was made on Sunday evening.
“All road users should be able to move around the Island without fear of encountering a driver who has been drinking,” said Superintendent Adrian Seales, Head of Uniformed Operations. “If you drink and drive you put yourself and others at risk.”
The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) said that it works hard to ensure motorists obey the rules of the road, which include wearing seatbelts, abiding by the speed limit and not drinking and driving. In 2008 eleven people lost their lives on the road. This year there have been 2 fatal car crashes so far.
“All drivers have a responsibility when they get behind the wheel to ensure their full attention is on the road,” said Seales. “If you drink and drive, your driving is impaired. At worst you are risking your life and the lives of others – at best you are risking your driver’s licence.”
Anyone with information about crime taking place in the Cayman Islands should contact their local police station or Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 (TIPS). All persons calling Crime Stoppers remain anonymous, and are eligible for a reward of up to $1000, should their information lead to an arrest or recovery of property/drugs.
Category: Local News
"No money is earned by the volunteers and there is no flouting of any Immigration/T&B/Cayman Company laws." Nice idea but for someone on a work permit doing somehting for free, or for charity, which someone else gets paid for is a breach of the immigration laws.
How is working for free/charity a breach of the Immigration Laws? I volunteer at the Pines, doing work that some of the paid workers also do. Should I expect a call from immigraton enforcemnet? Better tell all the Humane Society volunteers to be careful as well, and as for the Rotary members who clean up the beaches and parks, they need to be told that they’re doing something that others are paid to do, and its illegal…perhaps you’d like to quote the particular part of the law that makes it an offence to do volunteer work such as this…or are you just another member of the anti-competative briggade who wants everything handed to you on a plate?
I agree with the previous poster, arresting all the people that drink and drive will not solve the root of the problem. Whether you like it or not some people like to drink and if you give them no other reasonable means to get home after they will drive. Hence we need a better public transport system. One with reliable scheduled stops that run through the hours they are needed and have qualified public transport drivers. Not buses that stop anytime they see someone so can’t possibly keep to any schedule and have drivers who I swear are the worst on the island.
To "Drink driving will always be"
May I echo your exclusively sensible comments. It is simply unbelievable that in a supposedly modern first world country the public transport system is so underdeveloped and the regulation of taxis is beholden to an anti-competitive cartel, most of whom are poor drivers themselves. Only a proper metering system will resolve the problem of perceived overcharging and the problem of double/triple charging for taking more than one passenger to more than a single destination.
Whilst I accept statistics can be manipulated, it has been shown in several studies that the lowering of taxi fares not only decreses the number of incidents of drink driving (as more people are willing to take taxis) it also increases the profitability of the taxi business – more people are more inclined to not only take a taxi home but also to take a taxi on their outward journey. Twice as many customers taking twice as many journeys at half the cost of the usual rate would still provide for a doubling of revenue for the taxi driver.
It would also be interesting to see what the reaction would be if a charitable organisation such as the Canadian "Le Nez Rouge" were set up in Cayman. This allows people to take their cars out – if they have too much to drink, they can call Le Nez and will be driven home by a sober volunteer, in their own car, with another volunteer following. All that is expected is a "donation" towards the running of the charity – petrol/insurance costs for the drivers etc. No money is earned by the volunteers and there is no flouting of any Immigration/T&B/Cayman Company laws. If this were done on a properly organised basis, there would likely be a drop in taxi use at first. Whilst I’m sure the initial reaction would be the lobbying of the LA by the taxi drivers to outlaw such a pernicious scheme, the inevitable outcome would be increased pressure on taxi drivers to lower their fares to a level that makes it more convenient/economically viable to take a taxi than wait for the Nez Rouge driver to turn up.
The article (and comments) once again highlights the need for a far reaching overhaul of the way our roads are monitored, controlled and policed. The standard of (sober) driving generally on this island is atrocious. Why has the government not done a feasability study into speed cameras as a source of revenue in addition to the safety benefits of having such cameras? The operation of the cameras could be put out to tender with the Govt taking both the money for the best bid and a cut of the profits of that company as part of the contract. At the same time this would free up a number of traffic police for what are perceived as more important duties. I could go on, but I have to go out and cause a nuisance by driving down the turning lane because I’m far too important to wait in the queue of traffic. And whilst I’m sure no one is really interested in the fact that I’m going to turn at the next junction, I constantly wonder why it is that cars, taxis and trucks have their indicator lights disabled upon arrival in Cayman. If the authorities didnt do this, it would free up one of my hands to alternate between steering my car and keeping my cell phone lodged firmly to the side of my head instead of using it to wave to Uncle Samuel – the other one of course is in constant use shovelling Wendys down my gullet whilst chastising the unrestrained 3 year old in the front seat .
Any REAL effort to control drink driving would see police officers at the following locations:-
Around Calico Jacks after a Full Moon Party
At most 4 way stops after Friday Happy Hour is winding up
Outside in the parking lots of all nightclubs
Outside the Ritz, Westin, Luca, Prime, Mezza and many others after Sunday Brunch
Come on guys, you are touching the tip of the iceberg here!!!!
I saw a young man get attacked by 2 men at A La Kebab on FRiday evening, both men were drunk & got back into their car after 7 Police officers surrounded them to discuss the assault…they let them go!
People get arrested for smoking a joint & harming no-one but drunk bullies can get a free pass?
Drink driving will always be a problem on this island because there is an inadequate public transport system. If you don’t live on westbay road then there is no chance of getting a bus at the best of times and certainly not after 6pm.
Taxis are an absolute joke, they are so ridiculously expensive that most people would risk the drink driving fine as it is comparable to a taxi fare.
The solution to the problem is not blitzing all drivers, but investing in a public transport system, more frequent services and better routes and tighter control on taxi fares. I know taxi fares are supposed to be set by distance etc, I have taken taxis from 2 set destinations before and been charged between 13 and 36 dollars depending on the driver.
The bars and restaurants are suffering enough through the recession and lost trade. People can’t afford to eat or drink out because of the pathetic taxi fares, so they drive.
Whilst i agree wholeheartedly with the points raised here, I would just like to point out that the drink driving "fine" is not "comparable to a taxi fare" as the penalty here is automatic disqualification (ie losing your license) for anything from 12 – 24 months. So Its actually comparable to a year to two years worth of taxi fares, to work and back as well as out and back home in the evenings. It also includes a free trip down to the police station and your person and belongings being treated rather roughly by the officers bringing you in, who will then do their best to hide from you the fact that you can in fact bail yourself out with $500, and try to keep you overnight in the holding cells. A taxi fare home is preferable to all this, even if it is a bit extortionate.
Typical that the police continue to spend their whole time out on the road persecuting drivers whilst the murderers and rapists walk free.
At least they are targetting drink drivers and not just out of date licences this time.
Getting the drunks off the street is good! Now, please put the same effort into solving and preventing moreserious crimes.
Can someone please track the dump truck drivers and taxi drivers? They scare me more than any potential drunk, especially as they spend on average more time on the roads than anyone else………