The rise in traffic cases
In 2025, 1,493 traffic cases were filed in Grand Cayman’s Summary Court, up from 1,034 the year before. That count leaves out the 6,180 traffic tickets police issued over the year. Criminal cases in the same court rose faster still: about 2,305, an increase of 86%.
A “dangerously high number” of uninsured drivers
Chief Magistrate Angelyn Hernandez singled out four months of figures to make a point: from September to December 2025, 98 cases of driving without insurance, 86 of careless or dangerous driving and 79 of drink-driving. Her report describes repeat offenders and “a dangerously high number of people driving on the road without being qualified and without insurance.” When one of them causes a crash, the person they hit has no insurer to claim from, and many offenders have little money of their own to pay.
What the law actually says
The drink-drive limit was lowered in 2022, to 70 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The penalties were not changed. The report states that drink-driving carries a maximum of six months “even for recurring offenders”, but section 82 of the Traffic Act sets a higher ceiling for repeat offences.
| Offence | Maximum fine | Maximum prison | Driving ban |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drink-driving, first offence | CI$1,000 | 6 months | 12 months or longer |
| Drink-driving, repeat offence | CI$2,000 | 12 months | 12 months or longer |
| Driving without insurance | CI$2,000 | 3 months | 12 months, automatic |
The idea: a Motor Insurance Bureau
“Perhaps the time has also come to explore a solution like the establishment of a Motor Insurance Bureau on the UK model to compensate uninsured and untraced drivers.”
In the UK, a bureau funded by motor insurers pays out when someone is hurt by a driver with no insurance, or by one who drives off and is never found. Cayman has no equivalent today.
A court just for tickets
Since 5 September 2025, three Justices of the Peace have sat every other Friday to hear traffic ticket mentions, pleas and payment directions, handling up to 80 tickets on busy days. Tickets can also be paid online: 2,199 were paid through the courts’ pay portal in 2025.
How we checked this
- Judiciary Annual Report and Accounts 2025: pages 8, 21 to 24, 27 and 46.
- Traffic Act (2026 Revision), section 82(3), and the Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2022.
- Vehicle Insurance (Third Party Risks) Law (2012 Revision), section 3(2).
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