Custom license plates allow car owners a chance to display their individuality in a fun, unique way. For a small extra fee, drivers can create personalized plates that feature special messages or specific combinations of letters and numbers. These vanity plates reflect the owner’s creativity and personal flair. However, sometimes state regulations clash with personal expression, and certain custom plates are deemed unacceptable.
Wendy Auger learned this lesson the hard way. For fifteen years, she proudly drove around with a vanity plate that read “PB4WEGO,” a playful reminder to “pe* before we go.” Her plate often brought smiles to those who saw it on the roads of New Hampshire. Wendy, a bartender from the Gonic neighborhood in Rochester, New Hampshire, was shocked when the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) recently deemed her plate offensive.
Wendy feels strongly that the state’s action is an overreaction and a problem with censorship of speech, a right fundamental to American freedom. She argues that the phrase on her plate isn’t inappropriate, but rather a common piece of practical advice given by parents to their children.
Getting this license plate wasn’t just a spur-of-the-moment decision for Wendy. She put years of effort into securing it. When New Hampshire increased the character limit for vanity plates from six to seven, she quickly seized the opportunity to register “PB4WEGO” as her personalized license plate.
The state has clarified that the rejection of Wendy’s plate stems from rules that have been in place for years, following a New Hampshire Supreme Court ruling. These rules now have specific guidelines regarding what can be displayed on vanity plates.
So, what’s next for Wendy? Will she be forced to replace her cherished fifteen-year-old license plate?
For now, this story serves as a reminder of the tension that can exist between personal expression and regulatory guidelines.
