New Delhi: In a unique bid to remind drivers to slow down, several overspeeding motorists were handed an odoured onion instead of traffic citation on the Florida Keys Overseas Highway from a county sheriff's deputy dressed as the Grinch.
Monroe County’s Sheriff, Col. Lou Caputo donned the costume of Grinch on Tuesday and gave an odoured onion to the drivers speeding their vehicles above the limit of 5mph in an elementary school area.
“It’s about education, awareness that our school zones are still operating even though it’s the holiday season,” Caputo said, adding, “We want people to slow down.”
The idea behind dressing up as the Grinch was that the fictional character, created by Children’s author Dr. Seuss, would present ‘gift’ to the drivers.
The Grinch was also picked to raise awareness among the motorists and call for attention to obey the speed limits in school zones. “It catches them off guard,” Caputo said.
When offered to choose between getting cited and eating the onion as a penalization for overspeeding, “they will take the onion. And I’ve had them eat the onion right in front of me.”
It is to be noted that in Phoenix, Arizona, the Department Of Public Safety reported witnessing a “Suspicious-looking” green passenger in a car. In the restricted time, the car was moving on Interstate 10 in the high- occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane carrying an inflated figure of a Grinch as a passenger.
The officer’s heart grew and the agency couldn’t hold back sharing this unique gag of upholding the “festive flair” on their Twitter account.
However, the driver's face was blurred and he was cited considering the action still stands illegal.
The officials, through these acts, encourage the motorists to follow the traffic rules strictly, specifically urging them to keep a check on the speed limits in selected zones.