Photo: Sandor Bodo / The Providence Journal
A yearlong saga for a resident of Providence, Rhode Island, over his choice of a vanity plate, has come to an end. And it brings a happy conclusion for him, which virtually makes his Tesla Model 3 a champion for the freedom of speech.
Sean Carroll first made headlines in March last year, when he announced his decision to sue the DMV over a recall of his vanity plate – the same plate the DMV had signed off on more than half a year earlier and that read “FKGAS.” All of a sudden, DMV Rhode Island wanted the plate recalled, after one complaint lodged against it.
You wouldn’t be wrong to assume the recall was for hinting at an all too-common F-word used in heavy traffic. Still, Carroll insisted that, while he welcomed the comparison, the plate actually stood for something else: it was a joke between himself and his daughter, who said electric vehicles, such as their new Model 3, ran on “fake gas.” The vanity plate was their way of telling the world that the future was electric.
Carroll challenged the DMV decision in court and, in October last year, was granted a preliminary injunction. A judge has ruled now that he will get to keep the vanity plate, as banning it would have been a violation of his freedom of speech, The Providence Journal reports.
In trying to ban it, the DMV had invoked a state law that gives it authority to deny plates that “might carry connotations offensive to good taste and decency.” The intention behind “FKGAS” might have been a noble one, but it lent itself to an obscene interpretation.
Attorneys for Carroll argued that no one should be held accountable for other people’s interpretations. At the same time, they highlighted how arbitrarily the DMV applied the state law, banning “CHUBBY” vanity plates but allowing “FATTY,” or denying “DRUNK” and ok-ing “TIPSY.”
In the end, Carroll and his attorney declared themselves satisfied with the ruling, which also grants Carroll attorney fees. His Model 3 will continue with the same vanity plate it has had for the past year and a half, getting smiles, nods and waves from drivers in traffic – and the occasional evil eye for those easier to offend.
“FKGAS” is a winner and a freedom champion, after all.
You wouldn’t be wrong to assume the recall was for hinting at an all too-common F-word used in heavy traffic. Still, Carroll insisted that, while he welcomed the comparison, the plate actually stood for something else: it was a joke between himself and his daughter, who said electric vehicles, such as their new Model 3, ran on “fake gas.” The vanity plate was their way of telling the world that the future was electric.
Carroll challenged the DMV decision in court and, in October last year, was granted a preliminary injunction. A judge has ruled now that he will get to keep the vanity plate, as banning it would have been a violation of his freedom of speech, The Providence Journal reports.
In trying to ban it, the DMV had invoked a state law that gives it authority to deny plates that “might carry connotations offensive to good taste and decency.” The intention behind “FKGAS” might have been a noble one, but it lent itself to an obscene interpretation.
Attorneys for Carroll argued that no one should be held accountable for other people’s interpretations. At the same time, they highlighted how arbitrarily the DMV applied the state law, banning “CHUBBY” vanity plates but allowing “FATTY,” or denying “DRUNK” and ok-ing “TIPSY.”
In the end, Carroll and his attorney declared themselves satisfied with the ruling, which also grants Carroll attorney fees. His Model 3 will continue with the same vanity plate it has had for the past year and a half, getting smiles, nods and waves from drivers in traffic – and the occasional evil eye for those easier to offend.
“FKGAS” is a winner and a freedom champion, after all.
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