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. In late 2022, the legal limit for blood-alcohol level whilst in charge of a motor vehicle was lowered from 0.1% to 0.07% in an attempt to combat this issue.

Unfortunately, a significant number of minor accidents stem from drivers' unfamiliarity or outright disregard for driving regulations, including the legal limit for driving whilst impaired by alcohol.

There were 3,196 road collisions in 2023, marking an 11% increase from 2022, of which 9 involved a fatality. Speeding and DUI were identified as primary causes, with 270 individuals brought before the court for DUI-related offenses, of which 43% involved those driving at double the 0.07% drink-drive limit and a quarter of whom were found to be triple the legal alcohol limit.

If you do intend to drink prior to using Cayman’s roads, it is highly advisable that you seek alternate forms of transportation.

If you are caught either driving or sitting in the driver’s seat of a car while over the legal limit of 0.07% (70mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood), you will be fined CI$1,000 or imprisoned for six months, and you will lose your driving licence for a year. Repeat offenders face larger fines, longer jail terms and permanent driving bans. Having a DUI conviction can also affect your ability to obtain a work permit in Cayman.

For information and updates on traffic updates visit www.rcips.ky.

A drunk driving conviction will 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.