To find out the extent of Cayman’s speeding problem, Compass Media took to the streets – and was shocked, if not surprised by what it found.
In just one 10-minute period on Esterley Tibbetts Highway in West Bay, Compass videojournalist Philipp Richter filmed 75 vehicles driving along the two-lane northbound carriageway. Just 10 of them were going at or under the clearly marked 40mph speed limit.
Every other car, van, bus and truck was breaking the law, with the velocity of each vehicle flashing up on the speed monitor as they sped past.
More than double the limit
The most blatant rule-breaking came just three minutes in when a BMW shot past at 97mph, more than double the speed limit and just 3mph off being unrecordable by the two-digit display. Six minutes later, another BMW recorded 71mph.
But speeding wasn’t confined to the flashier cars. Buses, utility vehicles and rental cars alike would all have received a fine if the speed check had been through a speed camera.
Being caught speeding in the Cayman Islands can be expensive, as drivers are fined $20 for every mile over the speed limit up to a maximum of $500. Anyone caught driving faster than the top fine risks prosecution and, if convicted, they could be fined and disqualified for at least six months.
Anyone travelling at double the speed limit – such as our 97mph speedster – is likely to be automatically disqualified.
High cost of speeding
While the cost to speeding drivers is high, it could be a lucrative issue for government to pursue.
Our 10-minute period of filming in West Bay would have raised $11,260 in revenue if each speeding driver had been fined.
With cameras located in just five collision hot spots across the island, the money raised could easily run into tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars a year, until Cayman’s drivers start reducing their velocity.
And if, as expected, they are successful in changing driver behaviour, the real benefit would be not in revenues, but in reducing the casualties and fatalities on Cayman’s roads.