Crash claims one man’s life
(CNS): Update Saturday 12:50pm – Police have now officially named the man who was killed in a car smash last night (Friday 15 January) around 10.20pm. He was 23-year-old Matthew Antonio Bodden from Bodden Town, and the RCIPS is appealing for witnesses. Two men are in hospital and another two have been arrested for dangerous driving and DUI. The crash took place on Shamrock Road close to Wil T Drive involving a Honda Torneo and a Toyota Altezza travelling east on Shamrock Road. Police say that the driver of the Honda attempted to negotiate a right hand bend, he apparently lost control of the vehicle and collided with a concrete fence. (Picture courtesy of News 27)
The vehicle spun and debris flew across the roadway striking two oncoming vehicles. The four male occupants of the Honda where thrown from the car. The Toyota which had been travelling close behind collided with the Honda.
The two remaining passengers, aged 21 and 23, are being treated for minor head injuries and leg injuries respectively.
No injuries were sustained by anyone travelling in the Toyota, however the 23-year-old male driver has been arrested on suspicion of DUI and dangerous driving. No-one travelling in the vehicles struck by debris were injured.
Category: Headline News
R.I.P Matthew Bodden :'(
You will never be 4gotten and our good times and bad times at work will always be what i have to keep you in my heart.
My condolences to Ms. G especially along with Matthew’s family, Co-workers and friends.
Matthew had the brightest smile and future which all came to an end on January 15th but a new path has been created for him in heaven and while we are all here greiving Matthew is in heaven watching over us as a beautiful angel.
Lets just remember what memories he has left us with of him and stop trying figure out who to blame for all of this for gods sake.
May the lord help all of you people who had the stomach to post such heartless comments and may you come to your sences one day.
God bless the Bodden Family but remember one day you will all meet again as you all are good people and matthew and god is awaiting the day when we all will be re-united in gods kindom.
Islandgirl ; whoever you are!! Get your facts straight! stop going by what you heard no one ran from the scene get your story straight then come and talk other than that stop talking BS! ugh i hate when you people do this sh*t dont know a damn thing and act like you know it all! You all will be surprised to know what really happened,
Peace
I always find the CNS page and its comments very interesting and eye-opening to alot.
My heart goes out to the family of the young man lost and for them life will never be the same.
But, to be completely honest I am not surprised by the accident nor the fact that a life was lost. It is a sheer miracle that they all didn’t die. I came up on the accident saw The boy in his last few moments and let me tell you it will haunt me forever, but these boys knew each other, friends or no friends…
I strongly believe that a person is NOT your friend if he/she speeds with you in the car. These boys were racing and as a society as much as we support the grieving family we also need to support the law here. Right now it is not about being sympathetic or empathetic, this is life and it is cold hard turkey.
I lost a friend to speeding not even drinking and dirving, just speed, and he too was a good, mature, responsible, light-hearted guy. Doesn’t change the fact that he took it upon himself to speed and ultimately end his own life.
This case is far worse, we have a young man from what I hear was HIDING after the accident because he was the person driving!!!!
So he is speeding with his ‘friends’, then crashes throws ‘um all out the car then flees because ding ding ding….he knows he’s guilty!!!! Some friend. Sorry but it’s the truth, and the truth does hurt people.
These young boys need to start thinking and caring about their own lives because if they don’t then there is nothing we can do to save them. If you don’t have the brains to say ‘hey, look i’m not goin to allow you to speedwith me!’, then it’s obvious you don’t care if you live or die.
All I know is everyone is going to have their own opinion on this but lets face it people, we have lost a huge number of young people to drunk driving or speeding and it continues to happen. I am of course sympathetic to the family who lost this boy but I am not sympathetic to the driver who had a full car and with no regard to their lives drove recklessly. Mistake? If you think that it is ok to call this reckless driving a simple mistake and we all do it….you’re WRONG!!!! DO NOT EVER ENCOURAGE SUCH IGNORANCE. It is never a mistake to take someone’s life for granted EVEN FOR A SECOND.
I don’t care who you say you are, if you speed with somoone in the car with you, you are nonsensical and have no regard for human life and YES this boy should most definitely serve some time; for in the court of law, this IS man-slaughter.
I hope I didn’t upset anyone with my views on the matter but the bottom line is we lost yet another young person with great potential to recklessness. I can say with great confindence to the boys who pulled through, the young man driving the car was not your friend, and it would be in their best interest to stay as far away from those kind of people. The driver of the White Honda now has to live with the fact that he ultimately ended another young man’s life, that he was responsible and the sooner he accepts that and seeks a road to redemption thebetter off he will be.
Once again, my regards for the family of Matthew Bodden.
speed kills its that simple, there is no rules in cayman. speed as much as you want , talk on the phone while driving, no seat belts worn and thats just the cops driving around !
First off let me say that I believe I am a safe driver. That doesn’t mean I have never gone over the speed limit (I do but not by much). Every driver, everywhere, every day has the choice to drive dangerously to themselves and others. I have seen it done everywhere I’ve been. The U.S., Germany, Puerto Rico, etc.. But I have never seen such blatant disregard for the safety of others on the road as I have seen in Grand Cayman. Passing on blind curves, stopping to let people off/on in the road, tailgating to the max, no turn signals, and very little skill behind the wheel. Driving is habit made by doing the same thing over and over. In Cayman its only a matter of time before someone kills or gets killed. Usually the latter. Face it Cayman there are lots and lots of bad drivers here which will always equal lots and lots of accidents and needless deaths. There is no way short of war that the police can change this. Too many people want it this way so the rest of us have to live with it. Kind of like a lot of things in cayman.
There’s two sides to this unfortunate accident. I believe everyone sympathizes with the family and no one wanted to see such a young promising young man taken from us. But the hard facts need pointing out as well, everyone is responsible for their actions and unfortunately it cost someone there life. Driving a vehicle is a serious responsibility, everytime one of us gets behind the wheel we are not only responsible for our safty but for our passengers, other drivers and pedestrians along the way. Our actions ( speeding, talking on a cell phone, turning without indicating or driving under the influence) could result in tragedy. We can’t always control every situation but we do have control over how we operate vehicles. Please everyone drive more safely, we have lost too many to road fatalities.
This posting is not to judge only point out that we all need to be more responsible. My heart goes out to this young man’s family during their time of greif. I also pray for the driver of the car, as he must be overwhelmed as these two guys were very close and he too is suffering a loss.
People make poor decisions in life. This was another poor dicision. I am not judging the charater of these young men, I am just saying that they make a poor decision that night. I hope this will be a turning point for the survivors and they make this something that will stay with them forever.
As for everone that blames the mother… How can you seriously say such things. I can’t believe that any parent would want to bare the pain of laying their own child to rest…
When someone gets behind the wheel of a car and speeds does that really make them a "bad" person? Or just another person like you and I who make mistakes?
Now Ido believe that the driver should be held accountable for his actions even though I know within me he will want to take back that night for as long as he lives.
Just a quick comment on what it is like to get a driver’s license here. I cam to Cayman 16 years ago. I was 18. I applied for my license a few months later, never drove before. I went out with the instructor, and this is my exact route that was my test to drive. We left the parking lot of the license department, took a left to go down to the waterfront. Took a right on the waterfront passing Landmark jewellers. Straight down to the lights, right turn onto Fort Street. Back around to the license department, passed immigration. Did a three-point turn around where the new Cayman National Bank is. Then he said back to the department’. I thought I had failed as we were going back so sudden. Think of this drive, only a few minutes. Not long at all. So you see why I thought I had failed. Well I didn’t. I had passed with flying colours. Now in between all this, ‘I’ had to ask the instructor each time which way to go, ie left, right, straight……. He was busy reading some info he had in his lap.
Now I am not here to ‘bash’ at the license department. I am writing this to show how easy it is to pass a drivers test here. I had done my test in my friend’s automatic car. This license had approved mt to drive a manuel car also. I was shocked. I am from Europe, and alot of countries there, it takes at least 2/3 times to try and pass your test. It is very hard to pass. My sister is now 32, and she has failed the test ‘4’ times, and has another appointment in July to try again. All of her previous times, she had gotten lessons from a driving school, where they did a rigorous training each time.
This is what we need here!!!!
What about speed cameras? Ones that catch the license plate as it speeds past. They have them,again, all over European highways. They can catch a license plate number at speeds of up to 200 miles an hour. I think the money spent on this is minimal compared to someones life.
Again, I am not here to bash, just trying to get some ideas out there to help the youths of today to get indepth training, and the importance of driving, and the impact of what they could cause if they speed and drink/drive.
It is not fair to blame all parents on this. As we have seen before, all types of people have been involved in accidents like this. Whether they are church going, or not. Whether they are a golden child in school, with all A+. IT DOES NOT MATTER. As soon as they leave their parents side, they change to be around their friends.
Let us all try and work together tomake a change for the better………
Please be safe on our roads
What I want to know is which inconsiderate person sent out the police report with these boys date of birth and their plate number through e-mail and also BBM? Not even the news papers put out all of that information.
Phillip and Jarrett were always zipping by at high speeds, from Bodden Town to Sav. Since high school how many cars have these guys crashed? …. Slow down, stop racing and DUI; that kind of risk, its just a matter of time; Its sad that yet again a needless death.
You were a good dude R.I.P. Matthew.
was this supposed to be a sympathetic post?? i’m sure they don’t need you pointing out the fact that they drive fast as well ALL have a tendancy to do. I’m sure you have too so don’t be a hypocrite. Don’t take away the fact that Jarrett and Phillip are also good guys too. I can’t imagine what they are going through emotionally and you put up a post like this? Jerk.
uhu?
If u really knew Matthew & know Phillip and Jarrett you’d know the comment was’t hypocritial, but well placed.
Please don’t forget the facts on how this tradgey occured.
What they are going through, is a result of their actions. What we all need to be thankfulfor is that they didn’t take an innocent motorist life; who may have had a family!
As I said before Matthew you were good dude!
My condolences to the Bodden family and trust, they will continue to rely on God to give them strength and guidance to see them through. It’s not about raising the bar on age or insurance, our young people need to give more regard to LIFE. This precious gift which has been handed down to us by God himself, is to be treasured and handled with great care.
There are times we take so much for granted, and when life is lost, we begin to point fingers and cast blame. We are to take responsibility for our actions. Those who knew him and were close to him WILL have to live with their decisions for many years to come. It is so unfortunate as I’m sure this young man had many plans for his life, and in the twinkling of an eye, all has been lost.
Parents are not to be held accountable under these circumstances. These men were brought up with good family principles. It’s just unfortunate they made such WRONG decisions.
It is just amazing how people or should i say human being are. In this accident some of us lost a friend, brother, cousin, uncle, nephew and etc and here human being are debating on if the parents are to be blame. Come one please!
I am very sure that if Matthew and the others in the car that night knew that something was going to happen they would’nt have gone in the car but guess what people… they didnt know…. such is life. we are all living in a world that no one can see the future but GOD in Heaven. Who cantell maybe it is the first time that they were driving fast or maybe that night something was on the drivers mind that just cause him to just stray for a second.
This is not a case where anyone is suppose to be wondering if the parent should be blame or not. We were all born from a mother and a father whether alive or dead and not all of us listen to ours parents.
Matthew’s mother, sister and brothers were great role models to him and i will appreciate it for the sake of the family of Matthew Bodden for the comments on Cayman News Service to STOP ON THE DEBATE ABOUT IF IS MOTHER IS TO BE BLAME.
THINGS HAPPEN IN LIFE and we need to respect that and be encouraging in a time such as this. God be with matthew family and friends!
Do people actually think insurance is high for young men to price the out of driving?
It’s called business, their insurance is high because of the risk atttached to them. All these crashed by young men speeding etc cause the high insurance.
Insurance companies are not there as charities. Do you expect them to offer cheap premium to those with the highest risks and then go out of business when the claims start rolling in.
The best way for young men to reduce their premiums as a class is by stop doing stupid things and having fewer crashes, simple really.
If you were an insurer would you insure an 18 year old with a modified car with over 500bhp?
I have no sympathy with those who suffer harm when they are drink driving or get into a car with a drunk driver. Evil people who do these things should all go to jail for a few years for endangering the life of good people
A drunk driver recklessly kills his brother in an illegal race on the public highways and you believe there can be a positive response to this?
This total lack of responsibility is the problem.
You defend them? then you are clearly part of the problem
How would you feel if they had killed a young family crossing the road?
Drinking is not evil. Getting drunk then driving your car without a car for anyone but youself is.
Columbo what you need to do is crash a car and kill a family member (God forgive me) but only then will yu kno and experience tha tru situation..
Yu are very inconsiderate & what yu need to do is mind your business if yu dont have anything positive to say.. A little "My condolences to the fam & prayers to the survivors" wud hav jus been perfect..
Yu dont kno these guys and here’s a clue: It was not an intention, it was an accident, its sad Matthew had to leav us the way he did but God knows best and it was his time..
R.I.P. Matthew B..
It was not an intention? drink driving always is an intention
I actually lost my sister and 2 nieces (both under the age of 4) who’s only crime was walking home along the pavement when a drink driver racing a friend jumped the curb and crushed them against a wall, so it is not wonder I am inconsiderate to selfish, murderous drink drivers. they knew what they were doing is wrong before they did it.
R.I.P. Matthew.. Can’t believe your gone:( đ :(..
For all the stupid comments, ya’ll ppl is REAL silly & I pray you never lose anyone dear to you because you seem to think through your other end and have no conscience.. I agree with Anonymous about ppl having to say things that are usually dumb and I have known those sweet boys for years too, NEVER in trouble & always helping people… First they lost Devado, now Matt. I am sooo srry guys; I know you are all the best of friends & would do anything for each other.. Accidents DO happen & this is just about the saddest I have ever heard about (God wanted him & it hurts that he had to go that way.. Ya’ll are my boyzz frm day1.. R.I.P. once again Matthew.. Juice & Bill, I got you in my prayers homiez!
Love ya’ll..
D..
Where you seem to think that an innocent say someone drving home after work and being hit by a murderous drink driver edged on by his friends deserves to die.
Or maybe a woman with her 2 small children crossing the road are more deserving of death at his hands?
A drink driver is a potential murderer, a drink driver that causes death is a murderer, as if he had stabbed to death a random victim.
Those with him at the time and did nothing to stop him are accessories
calling it a "bad decision" is a woeful underestimation, until the youth or today realise that there are consequences to their actions and their actions endanger the lives of everyone thinks will never change
Honestly as a young caymanian and mother of 2 young teenagers i’m sick and tired when ever we as acountry loose a young person there is so many negitive things that has to be said regardless if they knew that person or not. First of all put your self in those parents shoes how they must feel.As for putting up the insurance i dont care how high you put it if you decided to take a chance with your life insurance or age limit isnt going to help them its only Gods Mercy and protection . so please dont judge each other leave that for God.
this is so tru some ppl are just ignorant . and dnt realize wa his parents going through. make it wa any sibbling of there’s they wudnt like no 1 to say bull crap about them. but as i say some ppl just ignorant and stupid and dnt have anything betta to do than talk foolishness.
My sincere prayers go out to all the families of the young persons involved in the accident. Why does things like this have to happen? Well none of us here on earth can answer such a question. It is not lack ofparental guidance why these boys have failed. As silly as it may sound, it was just their interest perhaps, in seeing how fast their cars could go…
Hence, let us not criticize the drivers of these cars, instead take them by their hands and lead them to a brighter pathway. I am aware that this is a trying time for the mother who have encountered the loss of her child, but it should also be a wake up call for all the mothers who have children. To the grieving mother, hold not unforgiveness or malice in your heart against anyone ,for God has his own plan. To the other mothers extend your hands and embrace your grieving sister at this time.
Slowly our young is leaving us at such tender ages. Who would think that we would be faced with burying our very own children that we bear so much pain for. It is a hard reality! To go one step further, how many of us parents ever took the time out in our prayers to ask God to use them in his will. Remember life is but a vapor…let us therefore not take things for granted and overlook the fact.
Let us embrace that moment when we kneel next time ,and remember to tell God that they are his, we give them back to him that he may guide and direct them according to his will. The task is too burdensome and great for us, and as we trust in him we know that he will provide them with complete coverage under the precious blood of Jesus.
No insurance coverage, no speed limit, no age limit, no court order, no new law is going to make a difference in these children lives. These laws are all implemented by man, who cannot over power the infinite power of the Ruler of heaven and earth.
Our neighbour, Haiti has just recently been shaken up by a devastating earthquake……Cayman was shaken with Hurricane Ivan…no lives were lost. We are now experiencing weeping with our young….and just how many of us is recognizing the signs???….
There is going to be more weeping, woeing and lamentation…..should we not heed!!!
I came on to this page to see what people had say and asual it’s never anything good, you people need to grow up! Someone’s life was taken. And you may not know but those three guys were bestfriends from primary school. They all were sweet young men, never in trouble and I CAN GUARANTEE you that! I’ve known them for more than 7 years and never have they failed me. You come here and try to judge people and say mean stuff not knowing if Matthew’s mother sees this, you people are cruel if it was your child out there and maybe if he was the driver you woud’ve understand. Everyone goes through a pain in their lives may not be this type but someone always loses some close person to them and as for me I have lose 3 important people in my life including Matthew he was a really sweet heart, wouldn’t hurt a fly. Everything happens for a reason maybe god needed another angel. Imagine what his brother is going through who was in the car with him? The driver they were always together NO ONE KNOWS WHEN ITS THEIR TIME TO GO, and i know Matthew is in heaven looking down and I know he already forgave the driver.
Everything takes time
RIP MATT,:( imy already
well said anon 8:51 u brought me to tears reading yours as it is so true! Some people are jsut foolish and need to get a life. they can only talk like that because they dont know what its like…. missin u matt
R.I.P Matthew, I will forever remember you as you were the sweetest person someone could know. You was there for me and jason when we needed you most and its so hard to know your gone as you always kept us out of trouble or tried 2. I’m tired of losing all my boys to our roads. gotta try and slow it down!!! pull through phillip n juicy luv ya both.
There are a lot of good coments here as well as some stupid ones. I wonder why some people have to go off in a different direction when some one makes a stupid comment and then make so many comments about the stupid comment instead of commenting on the main subject in the first place.
I have never in my life seen so many drivers tailgating as there are in this country, Caymanians as well as expats. I wonder if they were taught this habit in their driving lessons? I am pretty sure they were not. It just goes to show that people do not always practise what the are taught.
My sincerest condolences go out to the family and friends of Matthew Bodden and everyone who was affected by this tragedy. I was stuck in the traffic jam resulting from this crash for almost 2 hours, but I would gladly have stayed there all night if it meant there was a possibility if saving all involved.
I just wish that we would learn from these incidents and have more respect for our lives. What saddens me most is this probably isnt the last of this type of incident for 2010. What a horrible way to start a new year.
WELL SAID "ANON 12:03" I am sorry for your loss also, even though it’s been 3 years, time does not matter because in these circumstances your pain will never go away but it can get a little easier to bear. With the advise that your’e able to give to these families that are facing this right now, I feel that this a part of your healing process.
To the families of the driver(s) and the victims of this senseless tradgedy which took place Friday night, I send my most Sincere Condolences to you all. May you all find comfort knowing that others share in your grief.
God Bless and strengthen you all.
Comments by ‘Inside Job’
To be clear – Inside Job is on the inside. Comments below are sarcastic and directed at this community in general – in the inbred belief in Cayman that you are NOT responsible for your own actions, and somebody else is always to blame, and if you are Caymanian, you are and should be above the law.
When a well known community (business or political) leader (or their kids/cronies) in Cayman gets pulled over for speeding or DUI they will blame the officer, tell him to go ‘catch a criminal’, and even in many cases resort to intimidating and ‘getting your name and badge number’ because this ‘isnt the end of this’. This is the mentality of Cayman that will never be changed. These are the same people that will blame the police for not raising their kids and ensuring they are driving sober and within the speed limits.
Another Cayman problem which is applicable here – DUI is a traffic offence in Cayman. In all civilized countries, DUI falls under the Criminal Code and society views it as a CRIME against society – which it is. It is a basic mindset herethat wont change until lawmakers start by criminalizing it and therfore the mindset. Until they do this, every politician has blood on their hands for every DUI related fatality. Call a crime a crime.
Just blaming the cops in advance for all the savages who are going to do this anyways. Thank god no innocent bystanders were taken out in this case – all casualties were from inside the drunk car that was racing.
Sad but true – this is a sign of the broken society we live in.
Chh, i hope yu dont lose any1 dear to you cuz remember what yu jus said && i hav a little ‘inside secret’ for YU! Karma is a B! So watch wa ya say..
My heart goes out to Matthews family. They have a hard road to travel.
What happened on Friday night will change their lives forever. Our family faced what they are going through right now and every time another young life is taken in an accident, it takes us back to when our loved one who was killed in an accident as a passenger and we grieve all over again.
Everytime the Bodden family hear a siren they will most likely panic and call all family members to make sure they are ok as our family have been doing for these past 3 yrs.
To the young men involved my advise to you; do not try to get away in Court by lying, own up to whatever wrong doing that you did, it will at least let Matthews family find it in their hearts to forgive you and put an end to the Court ordeal they have to go through.
I know you all must be friends and being young and thinking you are invincible did not consider the consequences, now Matthew is dead and his family and your lives are changed forever.
In Cayman when you think of all that is happening there is no justice for a loss of life. Think back of all the persons in the last 10 yrs who died on our roads did anyone really paid a rightful due NO! I know going to prison will not bring back someone life but do these persons try to make any atonement to the families NO!
What they should be doing is going into schools and talk about their mistakes to the younger ones let them know what stupid choices do and it might save some lives. If they don’t know how to do it go to Service Clubs ask for their support in getting it to the schools, they are more than willing to help!
To the families whose young sons were involved support them in doing the right thing this will help Matthews family to heal.
All young persons out there please drive safe remember you and others are made out of flesh and blood and the vehicles are made of metal and plastic.
"Inside job" Are you stupid?????? Blame the police for little boys beleiving they are men and can handle fast cars!!!!!!!!!!! Please grow up and stop living in denial!!!!! When have drunkers behind the wheel anything can and will happen…. the only sad thing about this is the DRIVERS STILL HAVE LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So let me get this straight…you wish fo the drivers to also be dead (because they were the divers)? Since when does smeone also deserve to die because of a foolish mistake they caused. Your an idiot. Grow up
Follow any young person on a driving test and then ask yourself if the process to get a licence is actually worthwhile in any way. It is a joke! The vehicle roadworthiness test itself is a complete joke as well. It is about generating revenue- not driver education and safety. What about restricted licenses for the first 18 months- any incidents of driving above the speed limit or dangerous driving then suspend the license for 18months- no discussions or otherwise. Make the penalty big enough and perhaps younger drivers will take more care.
Why not benchmarking with other countries where fatal car accidents are low!? See what they are doing RIGHT and IMPLEMETING IT. One does not have to re-invent the wheel twice.
You can blame the Police for this one. Those guys are useless. Why werent they there doingradar on that stretch of road at that time of night????
What an idiot, and narrow mindedperson you are!!!!!!!! Speed and alcohol kills!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Engage your brains before you comment. How can police stop people from drinking and gettig themselves drunk? how can police be at everywere people are driving dangeously? Think. When you open your mouth without doing so you reveal publicly how ignorant you are?
What do you think would have happened if there were police parked off?? they would have probably ran, hence ending in the same result. We have to take results for our actions. Its simple.
Why not make drivers ed be part of the high school curriculum. Included in the lesson plan should be documentaries on accidents and their aftermath, have family members left behind come in and talk to those in the classes.
A field trip to the traffic department lot that cars from fatal accidents are kept. Teach them about cars, and what carelessness behind the wheel can really do. They have to be taught reality. Teach them braking distances, set up a remote controlled crash site with dummies (because videos can not seem like reality sometimes) showing them what happens to humans when a car crashes at certain speeds.
There is a track in east end isn’t there? let them get the experience of actually driving as part of the course. Get a 2 wheeled (steering that is) car that the instructor have control of as well.
This way by the time young people are old enough to get licensed, the novelty of driving would have worn off.
Make this class mandatory and all a part of getting their licence, those who have not taken this class cannot obtain a drivers licence.
In addition those young persons buying a car or being put on any insurance, this car should be outfitted with a device (don’t know if it has been invented yet) that automatically shuts the car down if it goes over 40mph.
The traffic officers could also monitor in a way that once a young persons is driving they could stop the car to check for this device, and if the car does not then the owner of the car should be charged.
I maybe getting ahead of technology but, this device could also be linked to the dash on the police vehicles so just like the speed gun, any car passing that has the device on it would beep, that way if a young person is seen driving and there is no beep, they get stopped.
To every problem there is a solution, and if you have to constantly raise the age limit, no one under 70 should be able to drive, because as a 43 year old, that has has my licence since I was 17, and could drive since I was 9. I have seen some so called sensible adults do some crazy things on the roads.
Ask any parent who’s child has been taught to drive and about what vehicles can do from very early, their opinion. I maybe wrong but I can speak for myself, by the time I got my licence the novelty was gone and there was no need to speed, in other words there was no need to show off.
Drivers Education needs to be introduced in school, graphic videos and other material, thats real. Kids need to know the cool hard facts, that speeding kills. But it goes beyond that, they need to have respect for the Law, that needs to be instilled at home! Prayers with the families
Message to the speeding young, thrill seeking men of Cayman.
I too was once just like you and I will not now turn into a hypocrite and chastise your hobby / passion.
However, you guys need to make better choices in how, when and where you decide to "see wha she (car) can do" – or "test a bredren’ "(race one another)!
First of all – NEVER under ANY circumstances should you ever drive in such away after a night out or after drinking … NEVER!!
Doing so with a carload of friends or loved ones is also a big "no-no".
The time of day / night, and day of the week as was last night is perhaps the worst possible time to be engaging in such risky and reckless driving – there are many innocent drivers and FAMILIES on the road at that time – furthermore, when one takes into consideration the particular stretch of road on which the tragedy occured it truly boggles the mind.
My friends and I drove suped’ up cars for years and raced one another many a Sunday evening up at high rock in East End, however, we always tried to watch out for one another when it came to actually driving on the road. We didn’t shy away from telling another of the stupidity of his actions the night before or taking his keys when it was clear to see that he had more than enough of his fair share of liquour for the evening.
I am sure many on here will not agree with my approach to this issue but as I am more or less a participant in the "culture" of performance vehicles, I know that to call for a complete ban or stoppage of it entirely is futile. (I would also like to remind the readers that one of our young men who passed away on our roads just a few weeks ago did so behind the wheel of a full-size American pick up truck.)
In closing, fellas, you really need to make better choices in how you enjoy your automobiles.
Join a professional racing club, limit your reckless excursion to the quarter mile track – and if you must do so on our public roads … do so on a clear straight stretch of bypass, ensuring you are alone in the vehicle and with no oncoming vehicles anywhere in sight – if the cops get you you’re on your own though!
"Racing" another driver is ALWAYS a stupid thing to do outside of an actual race track and please for the love of all things good…NEVER … NEVER … NEVER race / speed around a corner on this island of Grand Cayman!
Tragedy resides on the road bends and corners of Grand Cayman – bottom line.
Be safe.
Condolences to the grieving family and friends.
I couldn’t agree more with you. Grand Cayman has more than enough venues for motorsports. Whats sad though is that most people you see racing on the streets including the very ones that crashed this weekend more than likely have never decided to take it to the track. The motorsports associations here have been trying to reach out to these young drivers but it is up to them to come. It saddens me that again we have lost another young person to this but ignorance won’t bring him back nor will it prevent it. This talk about ban this car or that type of car won’t change the fact that people will speed or drive reckless. No matter what someone drives it’s still down to the driver and what and how he decides to drive said vehicle. Hopefully the ignorant caymanians won’t attack the import cars like a lynch mob again and start to adopt a more open mind and do something positive for the young Caymanian car enthusiast.
I have no sympathy with those who suffer harm when they are drink driving or get into a car with a drunk driver. Evil people who do these things should all go to jail for a few years for endangering the life of good people
Shut you mouth if you have nothing good to say!!! The family of Matthew is going through enough. I hope when your son, husband, bother, nephew, cousin or very close friend makes a mistake that causes them their live you say the same thing!!! Young people makes mistakes, and i know that does not make it right but the family is going through enough as it is so they dont need you self-rightous judgement!!!!!!!!!!
I think the original poster had something very good to say. Drink/drug driving is too common in Cayman. I agree 100% with the sentiments. I would rather no-one dies on our raods, but if there are to be deaths I would much rather it was those who drink driver or ride with drink drivers than innocent road users killed by other’s selfishness.
"or ride with drink drivers"?!?!?!? So you would rather an innocent person who gets a ride with someone who drinks to die for their (admittedly) lack of good judgement. What kind of sick person thinks like this? Someone does not deserve to die because of a bad decision that isn’t a danger to others.
And yes, they should be encouraging their friends to not drive drunk, but they certainly don’t deserve to die for it. Sometimes I wonder if any compassion exists in Cayman any more. The order of the day seems to be blame, accuse and make people feel bad about themself and / or their situation. Have a heart for the hurting family and friends of this young man.
The point was that no-one who gets in a car with a drunk driver is "innocent". They are encouraging someone to risk the lives of innocent people rathyer than stopping them driving at all. The poster did not say they wanted anyone to die, in fact they made it clear they woudl rather no-one die, but I agree with the view that if someone has to die I would rather it be those who commit or are party to drink driving than the innocent driver coming the other way.
Condolences to yet another grieved and bereaved family due to their young ones doing silly stuff!
I don’t hardly ever see girls in the news that are the causes of these types of car crashes. It’s mostly always boys!!!!
I say Cayman must change the age of when a BOY can get their driver’s license, 21. Leave the girls age requirements as they are, the girls are not giving any trouble!! This is a testosterone problem here!!
How many more of our young boys have to die or be maimed for the rest of their life in these silly car crashes???
Since it is so many YOUNG BOYS that keep getting in these situations, then it is high time to up the age limit for BOYS to 21 before they get their license!!
That won’t be a perfect solution, but i’m sure it will make a difference in lives being lost or maimed. Some solution is better than no solution at all!!
Here we are at the beginning of a brand new year. A time to start fresh & try to leave the old behind & what do we have here, another death. As if it wasn’t bad enough to hear about the families that have loved ones missing at sea because of a poor choice but now we have another young man taken from us because of a poor choice when it came to driving. When will it stop?
I’m a young person & I’m so sick & tired of hearing all this bad news. It breaks my heart because it doesn’t only affect the families that lose someone but it affects the island on a whole because these are our own Caymanian people that are dying off due to poor choices. Every day it is something else: another shooting, a car accident due to speeding, a robbery, etc.
Yes, there are situations that are beyond our control. Like natural disasters or someone dying with cancer. But when you choose to speed, when you choose to pull the trigger on that gun, whatever the case may be, you are not only putting your life in danger but the life of someone else as well. Some of these people that drive around reckless, maybe they don’t value their own lives and maybe their passengers don’t value their lives either but they should take into consideration the people that they are going to leave behind grieving after they have passed away.
Come on Cayman! Wake up! Life is too short to be so careless. Think before you start to speed. Think before you pull the trigger. Think before you do anything that may cause harm to someone else and even to yourself. We are responsible for the choices we make, not for the choices someone else makes. Start being leaders instead of followers. Leaders for good choices obviously!
And yes, I know that older people sometimes tend to point fingers at our generation putting us down for the things we do or don’t do enough of but they need to also remember that they are who raised us and they are still partially responsible for the morals we were taught growing up here. We can blame the media all we want for all the things that we are exposed to but for some of us, it is because our parents didn’t explain to us what was right and what was wrong. Either way though, we still make our own choices at the end of the day and common sense would tell us that some of the crap that is chosen to be done, is just wrong! But like a friend of mine once said, "Common sense isn’t very common these days."
I hope that we can all learn from this. It may be a very sad situation but there is something to be learned, it is just left to us to learn it.
My prayers go out to all the families involved. May the good Lord hold you close during this hard time.
Not again. I’m not an old fogey and I see young people driving crazily all the time. Yes…let’s not pretend. Young people are killing themselves and each other on our roads. We only have to put two and two together to sense what happened here. They were high speed chasing. Probably passing each other whenever possible. I’m not sure where this type of thinking comes from….videos?? movies?? You know the ones… where somewhere they tell you the driving was done on a closed course by a professional driver. But no one sees that. They firmly believe a gigantic exhaust pipe, fancy wheels, and a cool paint job will give them the skills needed to drive beyond their capability. On public roads. It is like Russian Roulette. Because sometime….someone will pull out…or a fence..or apost..or a corner…or a tree…will appear. Then it isn’t make- believe….it’s real DEATH. I guarantee it!!! I have survived three horrible car accidents. All when I was younger. All when I was a passenger. And lost a good friend.
Go to Breakers if you want to test your car and your skills.
Slow Down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is too much to live for, and you haven’t even lived yet.
So true – also, so sad that someone thought it necessary to give you a thumbs down for speaking the truth.
"…thumbs down…": Idiots clicking anonymously is the price of the free speech on the internet. This is a great forum, but the thumbs are the ultimate risk for unconsidered knee-jerk reactivity. I’d bet they didn’t read it properly and/or couldn’t understand it.
To ‘Oh No’.. I have already mentioned what you say, re Breakers (see Wake up! below). There was (is) an English officer who suggested training at Breakers, even offered to run and co-ordinate it, and even approached Mr Campbell who was very receptive…. but the ‘powers that be’ the ‘not quite good enough to be the boss’ senior officers, one real Caymanian, one pretend (read Jamaican) said that the idea was rediculous and it would encourage the youngsters to drive fast. NO! ‘the fast and the furious’ encourages drivers to drive fast, and they already drive fast, – actually training them allows them to cope with the speed and maybe not get into the accidents in the first place. Maybe even save some lives….
Oh wait, I forgot! Damn expats! Not ‘on our turf’ now, are we? So, we should just let you get on with right, as you’re doing such a fine job….and your parallel evolution to the rest of the world is serving you so well, right? You want to live with old ways and no progress, then throw away all the trappings of the 20th and 21st century, and go back to walking to the market with your sister to collect your coconuts…
Short sighted idiots, and to clarify I mean the individuals holding back the majority, not all caymanians….
Well said!
This argument about the type of car and also insurance is ridiculous. A car does not kill a person. A person kills a person. At the end of the day, if you put a person who enjoys speed, racing, or any other type of adrenaline pumping activity in a car, they can kill themselves or others. You could put someone in an old, broken down car that can’t do more than 40mph…but guess what…even at 40mph you can kill yourself. It is not about the type of car you drive. No matter what car you operate, you can ultimately kill yourself or someone else.
Raising insurance does not help the situation. Many of these younger people will simply not purchase an insurance policy at all, if it is too expensive for them. Raising premiums is not the answer. If they wish to drive a car, they will, regardless of if they have insurance or not. Further more, insurance is vital in the event that an accident does occur.
Education and discipline is key. It starts in the home. Parents must educate and discipline their children so that they raise the to be young, mature, responsible adults. They must learn that vehicles may be toys to some (since you can customize and personalize), but they come with a responsibility and a potentially deadly price to pay if they aren’t more driven responsibly. If you want to race, we have a track for it now. There is no excuse to race on a public road.
A proper drivers ed. program must be developed in these islands. It must be made into LAW that ALL persons attempting to obtain a full drivers license must then satisfy the course requirement.
You know what I see where you are coming from but what I also see is that a fast car doesn’t necessarily hurt in speeding the processes up any.
A lot of these Japanese cars coming in are being modified and enhanced for speed. Cars such as the Altezza and Lancer come to mind.
So while I respect the fact that just about any car can put you in your grave I do also realise that a modified car and the people that are into that have but one thing in mind.
Although i partially agree with the point your trying to make, i must disagree with you. I have been driving race cars both on the road and on the track since I was 17years old(I am now 28), I have never owned a car that wasn’t heavily modified and yet I have NEVER and I repeat NEVER got into an accident on the road nor have I broken the speed limit. It all comes down to the driver and the decisions he/she makes.
Many people are advocating to raise the age limit to get a licence and raise the insurance premium so that teenagers/youngsters can’t get insurance, thinking that then they won’t be able to drive. Well guess what, you all need to stop and think again. That is archaic reasoning, because, that hasn’t stopped young irresponsible persons from driving before, running from police and killing themselves and others when they crashed.
If one stopped to think it through, it would be far better to give a 14 year old a learner’s licence to drive under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian, or a licensed driving instructor. Such a licence would run for four years. During those four years, they would gain experience and the novelty of driving would become somewhat subdued, compared to now, where they wait until they are 17 years old, get a learner’s licence for 6 weeks and then are eligible for a full licence. The test at the end of the four years should also encompass some skill testing such as a watered down version of what the police get and include driving on slippery surfaces and safe braking practices. That way youngsters get to realise through practical experience that vehicles can get out of control even at slow speeds.
Also, in this age oftechnology, sensors should be embedded into the road surfaces to electronically send data to police control rooms when a certain speed threshold has been exceeded. This information can then be relayed to patrol officers so they know where people are speeding and can be deployed to those areas to address that situation.
Finally, as a parent of one son who is in the age group of the young man who so sadly lost his life, I can imagine how his parents feel, as my son behaved recklessly for four years, drinking and speeding and getting in accidents. I would always beg him to cut it out and even reported him a couple of times in an effort to save him or someone else from being killed, but he was persistent. I lived in absolute fear and anxiety, dreading any call that I received at night, or if I heard a police or ambulance siren and could not reach him by phone.
I can only pray that God will comfort his family during this time of grief.
Weren’t road fatalities down last year? Any life lost is one to many but lets not start the bashing of young people and their driving habits when statistics prove otherwise.
and the pathetic government won’t let electric cars on the roads because they can only do 35mph in a 40 zone….. yet they have no problem with kids speeding around in 15 year old japenese imports…..
Blame the parents! not the Kids please. It all starts from home.
I agree good values/discipline starts at home but this young man comes from a good home and has two of the best parents I know so don’t be so judgemental. Just goes to show bad things can happen to the best of us.
RIP Matthew
There is only so much you can blame parents for! My parents were strict and tried to teach me responsibility and life’s lessons but I was a daredevil and loved speed and thought I was invincible as most kids do.
However I did have a serious respect for and fear for getting in trouble and of the law! If these kids didn’t know that they can get away with so much on this Island they wouldn’t be doing half the things that they do!
The police need to crack down and be sitting along these roads at night.
We all know this happens every weekend and that if the police were sitting in the dark along these main roads these kids would be caught. It would just take catching a few and going very public with the results to make others stop and think.
In their minds they are superheroes who can’t die and what happened to these boys won’t happen to them. However they will think twice about doing this if they know a police car will be sitting somewhere along the road ahead. (of course the location will have to change)
They are making a decision to drink, drive, race etc but hitting innocent people who may have their children in the car and who are all being responsable is the end result – and those innocent people did not chose to risk their lives just because they are driving somewhere!
Cayman needs a no tolerance policy and mean it! Or perhaps a curfew?
You are a bloody idot. Can a parent of a young person (who is legally an adult) be blamed. You are obviously not a parent. I am a mother, I have two boys and they have to listen to me and do things my way once they are underage and under my roof. However when they become a adult and move out and live on their own they make their own decisions and there is nothing that parents can do at that point except pray for God’s protection over them. These young men where adults living on their own. How on can you blame the parents. So many parents in Cayman and around the world have raised their children in church and teach them right and wrong, enforce discipline and do all that a good parent can do yet when some of the children become adult they make their own decisions good or bad.
Parents can only do so much and no more, in a case like this the young people who made a silly deicision are the ones to be blamed and no one else, not the police, not the government, not their parents.
This pretty much proves the point that parent’s don’t want to take responsiblity. A thumbs down for "Blame the Parents" comment, are you kidding me. It DOES start at home, so YES parents, even if your child is moved out and an adult, how he handles his life is a REFLECTION of how you raised him 99.9% of the time!
For all those that gave the comment a thumbs down, shame on you for not taking responsiblity for your kids!
As far as raising the insurance I think its a stupid idea, not all young people are dangerous and reckless as the media portrays us to be. I myself am a 20 yr male old who has not been involved in any reckless behaviour or anything of that matter. I dont drink, I don’t do drugs, and I don’t go to night clubs and party. I VALUE MY LIFE and I think about the choices I make and how they will affect others around me.
I work full time now and take evening class at the local college so that I may pursue a degree. Yes some young people are not mature enough but appearently the society here decides to classify all of us into one section. If one is bad punish them all, is how it seems to go. So with that said how about humans, if one human is bad should all of us be punished for just that one person? Should all of us suffer because just one of us decided to make his OWN FREE CHOICE. I feel bad that a young life was lost, but he did not think about his actions and neither did the others that were involved.
Moreover its not the faults of the parents either, he was of legal age, he was found to be responsible enough to be given a license in the first place. A parent can’t control their children when they are of legal age. If you believe that they still can then maybe you better listen to your parents when they start talking to you about choices or better yet move back in with them and obey their rules.
Last but not least the young people here are more educated then you know, even to the reckless ones are smarter than you think. Its just that no one gives a 2 cents about us. Many of them have no motivation to do something productive for the society because they recieve no encouragement or support from the community. No one listens when we suggest or ask, we are put on the back burner and thats why many turn to the reckless life that they live. Collectively though I bet that if 100 of us or more walked up to the MLA steps and started protesting that we want to be heard and have a voice in the community then maybe people here would start.
My prayers go out to this young man’s family and relatives.
I would join if thats what we needed to do.
I can’t believe this posting got 3 thumbs down – what sicko’s
Well said young man!
From reading your note your saying you’re the perfect little angel. You don’t drink, you don’t do drugs and you don’t go to nightclubs. Okay. But that’s your choice. So because of YOU they shouldn’t raise the insuranceand only for YOU. Insurance brokers look at stats to see if they should raise or stay the same in their rates and sorry but in those STATS 20 year old males, like YOUSELF, are the highest percent to get into an accident. This is not a time to be selfish and cry me, me, and me. This is a time to realize more than you. Someone died, and all you’re talking about is great, just because this MY insurance is going up. You’re not seeing the big picture somebody died here. There are families grieving cause in the end they were all friends and in this some were case family. Matthew was like family to me and my family and its tragic that something like this had to happen. What we need to realize is just because we don’t think we’re ready to go god can take us at anytime. I know he’s in a better place and he will be missed but he will always live on in my Heart.
First of all I’d like to say that I am not selfish, it was not about me, me, me. I was stating the lifestlye that I live, so that the air can be cleared that not all young males on this island are alike. Second of all I do not, and I repeat I do not claim to be a perfect angel. I am human like everyone else, I make mistakes, I slip down at times to, but when I do slip down I don’t drag down others around me for the fall. I take responsibility for my own actions, because they were a choice that I alone could make.
As for the statistics on matters like this, the only thing that matches there is that of the age. Yes they are 20 yrs old like me, HOWEVER if they followed different lifestlyes, less reckless and cared more about the actions THEY made, then clearly that statistic would not be there because the rate for fatal acciddents in this particular age group would be at a minimum. So there is a VERY BIG DIFFERENCE there because clearly I am still alive to have this converstaion. Clearly those young men and I are different. I am not forcing my lifestlye on anyone, I am just asking the public to stop classifying all young men into the same catagory, because there are many more like me, who do care about the choices they make and how they affect others, there always has been and always will be.
Yes I also realize that someone died here, but who’s fault was it? Was it your fault? I don’t think so. Was it my fault? I highly doubt that. IT WAS THEIR OWN FAULT!! They made the choice not us. God gave us all free will, THEY made the choice to speed and throw their lives away. They decided to make the public roadway into their own personal roadtrack, endangering the lives of not only themselves but others to. Tell me this, how would feel if one of your family members was on the road at the time this took place. How would you feel, if you were also in that car with your family member and these young men came speeding by you dangerously close and causing you to swerve off the road, so that you wouldn’t collide with them. Or how would you feel if you had a young child playing on the street when young men like them came racing down it at high speeds? I’m sure your attitude to the given situation would be different.
Now for the part you wrote on how God can take us anytime, I do believe that, but I don’t believe that it was God’s plan to make him die a tragic death like he did, it was his choice. As for you knowing he’s in a better place, let me ask you this. Are you God to know where his soul is for the rest of eternity? Were you there in the final moments of his death to hear him repent? Was he a strong and faithful christian? Because if he was then what was a christian like him doing racing on the road like that, cause I’d like to know the church he went to so that I could have a word with them about there teachings.
Yes its very sad that he died and worse that he was young but none of us forced it upon him to speed, it was his choice. Just like it was your choice to respond to my orignal message.
Again my prayers do go out to this family so that they may be comforted in this time.
My thoughts and prayers to family of the late Matthew Bodden. I have known this young man and his two brothers for their primary school days. I have always found them to be very respecful, hardworking and ambitious young men. It is very sad that such tragedy has hit their family; may God in heaven give them the strength and comfort they so need.
RIP Matthew.
Would the IDLE CHILD that keeps putting thumbs down to all posts, just grow up and stay off this site. What in heavens name would you put a thumbs down to this comment for, as its not only very childish but very disrepectful to the family and all concerned, including us!
Simple solution. Speed cameras. Cayman needs speed cameras that issue automatic tickets for anyone going over the speed limit.
How wouild you who is driving the car?
The owner of the vehicle is responsible. That is who gets the ticket and who must pay. If they were not driving then I am fairly confident that they will wise up right away about letting someone else drive their car and having to take the blame. However, the "other driver" can own up and accept the consequenses, e.g fine, disqualification, jail, etc.
This would work as long as you get the ticket before you kill yourself.
Speed cameras are a good idea. They seem to catch a lot of people here in Florida.
Each driver and their car is registered in the vehicular registration system (VRS) so when a person speeding crosses the camera, a photo is taken of the lisence plate and either a court summons or speeding ticket is mailed to the individual. Having worked in the Dade County Clerks Office I can tell you that it works like a charm.
In Great Britain, speed cameras have been extremely effective, virtually eliminating speeding. There are several types of speed cameras, some of the most effective are “average speed cameras” which record the time it takes a vehicle to travel between two points, if a vehicle reaches the second camera faster than the average speed, a ticket is posted in the mail. Here is a website that tells about common types of speed cameras used in the UK: http://www.speedcamerasuk.com/speed-camera-types.htm
While a speed camera is able to “work” 24/7, 365 days/year, police officers would then be able to focus on other areas of law enforcement, rather than sitting at a speed trap waiting to catch someone. The camera would always be there, even in the early hours of the morning, when most of these tragic accidents seem to occur.
Driving is a privilege, not a right and it must be respected. Loss of life or vehicular manslaughter is the ultimate price to pay for abusing your driving privilege. There needs to be harsh consequences for speeders who are caught; i.e. steep fines, increased insurance premiums, loss of license, probation.
I believe speed cameras would be a great investment for protecting our youngsters, innocent bystanders and keeping our roads safer, in general.
Perhaps we should start a petition?
Is it not ime for speed cameras I can think of quite a few places that turn into race tracks, the stretch between Savannah and Hurleys is a very good example. What about the round abouts they are traffic filters not overtaking lanes! How about traffic indicators on round abouts this could speed up tarffic by about 25% while you wait to see who is going where, lets not even talk about crazy lane switching. Lets be realistic, there are several complaints in the press about driving in Cayman but does anyone take notice? Rest assued that thy wont now unless the Police become really draconian on crazy drivers.
John Fleming
What we need is more concrete posts all over the place and lots of flowers and memorials erected to people who have decided to fly in the face of common sense, (and believe me some of them have flown, I remember eyeballs being found on the South Side of Cayman Brac).
Stop being such arrogant fools and emulating your movie (non) heroes. You are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Wake up kidz, the ones who can still read!!!
The beatings will continue until morale improves !! Its an old sayin (pun).. but lets face it, there will always be folks who speed and drive irresponsibly..however I do take exception to the fact that anyone can drop by the average car parts store (and you sellers know who u r) and buy high performance parts for cars (including Nitox), then take these same parts and cars and take to our roadways where speed limits rarely exceed 40mph… but I guess capatalism must thrive right? Ban the high performance parts and sales.. you might as well be selling handguns !!
RIP MATHEW BODDEN đ
Unbelievable that a "spastic" would put "thumbs down" to a RIP Matthew Bodden post – you are truly ONE SICK PUPPY.
Legal age or not big people make mistakes and die also
I think the Police need to stop appealing for witnesses when not necessary, they have the driver which is the witness from ( Toyota Altezza ) which was travelling close behind that collided with the Honda and plus they have the driver of the Honda and the 2 other occupants that was in it. So tell me, do they really need any more witnesses?
In reply to the post about insurance, I can see some logic in that, however, by making insurance affordable, at least the other parties in these types of collisions are protected. If insurance is too expensive, then young drivers may just not pay it at all, which may make the whole situation worse for everyone.
This is another example of our poorly educated, irresponsible, arrogant ‘DVD educated’ young culture that is being allowed to perpertuate here.
There was a suggestion by an English police officer to offer some degree of vehicle driver training as part of the sentencing for some driving offences or following accidents to at least give these youngsters the skills to AVOID the accident in the first place. So many of the accidents here are avoidable if only the youngsters driving knew what to do when they went beyond their existing abilities… needless to say, the progressive suggestion by the wicked expat officer was shot down by the local ‘experts’ who seem to be satisfied that we have an inexhaustable supply of young local sacrifices.
Is expat best? No, not all the time, but when it involves Cayman eventually catching up with the rest of the world, then Cayman may have to swallow it, even to justify the ‘protect our children’ brigade. Is Cayman best? In many circumstances yes, but she (Cayman) has to be mature enough to admit and recognise when she needs help…..
same old same old, look to solutions Cayman, not blame….
The article says the driver was 20 years old – since when is someone this age the responsibility of their parents. This is a young adult who made a bad choice and bears no reference to his parents. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and the family of the others.
Please PLEASE when is all this crazy driving going to STOP???????Something has to be done to save these young people from themselves.Here we are less than a month into the new year and tragedy has struck us all again.I know that the fault lies with many of the parents out there who cant control their own kids and give them far to much at such an early stage in life.Regardless this continued carnage on our roads must be stopped somehow.Maybe the insurance companies could put the insurance so much higher than before to keep it out of reach til a certain age is reached.Some of these youngones are certainly now mature enough to be driving such fast cars and putting not only themselves at risk but others as well.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the immediate family at this most difficult time for them all.
Legal age for driving, drinking and smoking should be 21
There are tons of responsible people under 21 who are able to drink, drive and smoke responsibly. There are also many who are over 21 who still are unable to act maturely. Changing the age will not have any effect on the current situation or impact our society in a good way.
The factis another young life has been lost, and I am deeply sorry for this.
My prayers are with his family and loved ones. Be Strong.
I am beginning to wonder whether a lot of people know what the thumbs up and thumbs down is for. Why would anyone in their right mind give the above statement a thumbs down ?
Do you really delude yourself into thinking it matters what the legal age is ?16 year olds and 60 year olds all do stupid things. It all revolves around using common sense and there is no age limit on that. It also has nothing to do with the parents as no matter how hard you try to instill responsibility into some it doesn’t do any good. Too many young people dying on our roads and it still doesn’t open the eyes of some people.
It is not about how fast a car is. Most cars on Cayman can easily cruise between 70 – 100 mph without much in issue. Virtually all newer models of all car can surpass 100mph. You could bring the cars most of you drive to the US and comfortably pull 70 or 80mph on the highway. It’s the WAY in which people drive cars that is the issue. If the speed limit is 50, then you shouldn’t be doing 90!
Why is it that the Police are so reluctant to release the names of the other individuals involved?
because they have to ensure that the family is notified before the media is, can you imagine a family member dieing and you be notified via the media?