Drinking & Driving in the Cayman Islands

The drinking and driving rules in Cayman are strict and strongly enforced.

The legal blood-alcohol limit for the Cayman Islands is 0.07% (70mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood). If you are caught either driving or sitting in the drivers seat of a car, and you are over the legal limit, you will be fined CI$1,000 or imprisoned for six months and you will lose your driving licence for a year. We recommend that you use a taxi or a designated driver if you are going to be drinking.

Although the drinking and driving rules in Cayman are strict, it continues to be the leading cause of fatalities and serious collisions on Cayman’s roads. The current legal blood-alcohol limit was brought into force on 20th October 2022. Prior to this, the legal limit had been 0.1% (100mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood). This law change brings the blood-alcohol limit much closer to the worldwide average of 0.06%. For reference, the limit in the UK and in the US is 0.08%.

In an attempt to combat the issue of drink driving, in May 2021 the RCIPS launched Operation Quaker – a task force set out to catch and hold accountable Cayman’s most reckless drivers. A special focus was placed on drivers under the influence and speeding. In the month of June 2021, around 38 people were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI), 175 tickets were issued (mainly for speeding), and police responded to roughly 58 collisions. These figures reflect incidents that took place only on the weekends, as this is when many of the tragic road accidents have occurred, and therefore when an increased police presence on the roads was deemed necessary. For more information and updates on the operation, visit www.rcips.ky.

Occasionally we are asked whether a conviction for drunk driving will hinder people from being granted a work permit by WORC (Workforce Opportunities & Residency Cayman - formerly The Department of Immigration). The answer to this is yes.

A drunk driving conviction must and should show up on your Police Clearance form and is a hindrance to gaining work in the Cayman Islands. For more information on this please see the Immigration page.