Customized license plates offer drivers a canvas to showcase their individuality. For a fee, motorists can craft personalized messages or combinations of characters, unleashing their creativity onto their vehicles. However, the joy of self-expression can hit a roadblock when state authorities, tasked with regulating license plates, deem certain phrases too controversial, leading to the rejection of vanity plate applications.
In a recent twist of events, Wendy Auger found herself at odds with the Department of Motor Vehicles over her beloved vanity plate, a fixture on her car for fifteen years. Emblazoned with the humorous message “PB4WEGO”, it never failed to elicit smiles from fellow travelers along the highways and byways of her New Hampshire home. Auger, a bartender hailing from the Gonic enclave in Rochester, was taken aback by the DMV’s decision, particularly considering the innocuous nature of her chosen phrase.
Auger perceives the DMV’s action as an infringement upon her constitutional right to freedom of speech. To her, the phrase “pee before we go” hardly constitutes offensive language; rather, it’s a piece of common-sense advice that resonates with every parent’s admonition to their children.
Auger perceives the state’s actions as a blatant attempt to trample on her constitutional right to freedom of expression. Moreover, she contends that the phrase “pee before we go” hardly qualifies as objectionable language for a vanity plate; rather, it’s a nugget of practical advice that resonates universally among parents guiding their children.
Far from an impulsive decision, acquiring the coveted plate had been a long-held aspiration for Auger. She had diligently searched for it over the years, eagerly anticipating the moment it would become available. When the opportunity finally arose, she seized it, promptly adorning her New Hampshire plate with “PB4WEGO”. This decision was catalyzed by the state’s expansion of character limits for vanity license plates, from six to seven, which opened up new possibilities for customization.
According to the state, the alteration of vanity plate rules was mandated years ago by the NH Supreme Court under court order, resulting in the current stringent regulations.