Vanity plates are an excellent method for car owners to express themselves. Because some people pay extra to have a particular phrase or a cluster of letters and numbers printed on their license plate, vanity plates allow them to be creative and express themselves in unique ways. However, state governments and their motor vehicle authorities may reject a vanity plate application if the language is too controversial.
However, Wendy Auger suddenly discovered that her fifteen-year-old vanity plate was being refused since it featured the word “pe*” on it. Her vanity plate said “PB4WEGO” and made many people smile as she drove along the highways and lonely roads in New Hampshire, where she lives. Auger, a bartender from Rochester, New Hampshire’s Gonic neighborhood, was surprised to see that the DMV found this disrespectful.
Auger believes that the state is attempting to trample on her First Amendment right to free expression. Not only that, but she believes that the word “pe* before we go” is not a bad idea to place on the vanity plate because it is common-sense counsel that every parent will provide to their children.
Auger had not gotten the plate on a whim. She had hunted it down for years and was waiting for it to finally become available. When it was suddenly open, she jumped on the chance to put “PB4WEGO” on her New Hampshire plate. That was because the state expanded the number of characters allowed in its vanity license plates from six to seven.
According to the state, the regulations “were forced to be changed years ago by the NH Supreme Court as a result of a court order, and now the rules are very specific.”
Do you believe Auger should have to get rid of her 15-year license plate?
