Fine or onion. That is the alternative that the green leprechaun Grinch gives to motorists who on Christmas dates slightly exceed the speed limits in school zones near the highway that runs through the Florida Keys (USA).
The custom of a police officer portraying himself as the Grinch and surprising motorists with his unusual proposition dates back about 15 years in the Keys, an archipelago of 1,700 small islands located between mainland Florida and Cuba.
The green goblin recreates the fictional character created by Theodor Seuss Geisel, which he gives life to in the 1957 children’s book “How the Grinch stole Christmas!”, very popular in the United States and which was made into a movie in 2000.
In keeping with the tradition, Colonel Lou Caputo of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office donned the Grinch costume Tuesday and, along with other deputies, began watching the speed of cars passing by on radar. Stanley Switlik Elementary School.
Caputo says he plays the fictional character created by the children’s author to give minor offending motorists a “gift,” but also to draw attention in a nice way to the need to respect speed limits in school zones.
Drivers who barely exceed the school zone speed limit have a choice when stopped between traffic tickets or the smelly onions provided by the Grinch.
The fastest ones will probably receive a fine from the local authorities.
“I came up with this idea after the premiere of the movie ‘The Grinch’ with actor Jim Carey,” Caputo recalled.
He said that then he thought it would be a Christmas gift to dress up as the Grinch and go out to the school zone so that instead of issuing fines, he would give minor offenders gifts of onions.
Despite the Christmas mood, Caputo said there is a serious side to this unusual traffic control project.
“We want people to know that they are in the school zone and that there is danger from the presence of children in the school, so they should not take risks,” Caputo said.