As the police reports bear out, drink driving contributes to an alarming number of deaths on Cayman’s roads each year.
Traffic accidents have claimed the lives of 67 people since the start of 2021 alone. Some of them were innocent victims of people who made the rash choice to get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol.
As Christmas party season approaches, Compass Media is supporting the ‘Arrive Alive Purple Ribbon Pledge’, urging drivers to commit to staying sober during the festive period. But real and lasting change must be for life, not just for Christmas.
In a three-part series starting today, the Cayman Compass will take an in-depth look at the challenges on Cayman’s roads and the policy and enforcement interventions needed to inspire a change in direction.
We’ll also look at the data points to drink-driving as a year-round problem that will take a long-term national commitment to fix.
The Cayman government’s national ‘Road to Zero’ campaign has admirably begun that work, setting a goal of eliminating road fatalities by 2038. Reducing the drink-driving limit, considering implementation of speed cameras and public education are among its main strategies so far. But there is considerable work to be done to make a dent in the figures.
The numbers themselves are alarming.
There have been six fatalities on Cayman’s roads so far this year and the islands have suffered an average of 15 deaths per 100,000 people each year since 2021.
That’s in line with the global norm but is unacceptable for a developed, modern country with a top national speed limit of 50 miles per hour and average journey lengths of just a few miles.
Looking at the 35 major economies surveyed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in a study of 2022 data, Cayman would have been the highest in per capita road deaths, based on its 15 fatalities in that year.
The islands’ small population means a handful of accidents can skew the data, but in any of the last five years Cayman would have been in the top five most dangerous countries for road fatalities when compared with the OECD figures. The US, Costa Rica, Colombia and Chile are the other statistically dangerous countries.
Norway, Sweden and the UK are among the leaders in safety, with five times fewer accidents per 100,000 inhabitants than the US or Cayman.
Cayman’s road death statistics were sufficiently alarming for former chief medical officer Dr. Nick Gent to highlight them as a national health problem.
In his exit speech last month, he said, “An area of significant concern to me is the unacceptable death and injury rates on Cayman’s roads, which are four to five times higher than the best-performing countries.
“The prevailing view, it appears to me, is that when a person is caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, they’re thought to be unlucky. Not that it is what it is, a just criminal conviction where the privilege of holding a driving licence has been misused to endanger others.”
The statistics only tell part of the story. Each number represents a life lost too soon, a family in mourning and an impact that spirals through the community.
Men like Per Undheim, a 39-year-old father of two, who was killed while cycling on Easter Sunday, and 37-year-old Paulo Pillas, a beloved member of staff at Palm Heights who was killed at a pedestrian crossing, leave behind families, friends and colleague who loved and depended on them. Their loss is immeasurable.
Our three-part series will take a closer look at the chaos on Cayman’s roads and the possible policy and enforcement solutions. You can join the conversation by emailing Issues Editor James Whittaker at [email protected].
