The Rotary Clubs of Grand Cayman have come together to launch a national road safety campaign entitled ‘Share the Road,’ aimed at encouraging road users to have respect for one another while on Cayman’s roads.
“All three clubs recognised the national importance of this campaign, and have therefore combined forces to ensure that its messaging is prominent, widespread and effective,” Dawn Cummings, Immediate Past President of Rotary Club of Grand Cayman Sunrise said. “Too many members of our clubs have had personal negative experiences on the road, or know family members or friends who have.”
The campaign has also drawn the support of the Ministry for Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure, the Governor’s Office, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service and the National Roads Authority.
“Traffic offences in Cayman rose by 26% in 2016, with a total of 6,463 traffic related incidents reported last year and 6 fatalities on our roads, all large numbers for a small island like ours. But no matter the numbers, every death on our roads is one too many,” Ms Cummings said.
“Cayman prides itself on expressing kindness and showing mutual respect between ourselves and others and this sense of mutual respect should extend to our roads too,” Justin Bodden, President of Rotary Club of Grand Cayman said. “We celebrate being a multi-national, multi-cultural country. We are a varied group of different people from different backgrounds and with different road experiences and we all need to join forces to drive down the number of road traumas and accidents on Cayman roads.”
The campaign messaging will target all road users, including cyclists, pedestrians, drivers and motorcyclists, and will provide them with ways to keep themselves and others safe on the road. Presentations will also be given at schools and other community groups, and the RCIPS will assist with spreading the message to people as they are out on the road.
“A lot of the time road safety campaigns are only geared towards drivers, and don’t include or address other road users,” Mr Bodden said. “Share the Road aims to show that every road user has a part to play in keeping our roads safe, even if they are not in a motor vehicle.”
“It is so encouraging to have the support of key stakeholders in all aspects of road regulation. From those that are responsible for the planning, development and maintenance of our roads, to those that enforce the law and conduct vehicle inspections for roadworthiness, all the way through to those who are in charge of licensing and road signage, we are all joining forces to achieve better outcomes for all road users,” Khalesiah Barboram, Community Service Director of Rotary Central Cayman Islands said.
“With proper implementation and education, incidents could be significantly reduced, lives could be saved and Cayman could become a far less dangerous place to navigate,” Dr John Lee, Rotarian of The Rotary Club of Grand Cayman Sunrise said. “This campaign aims to bring road users together and acknowledge the responsibility that comes with using Cayman’s roads.”
