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New Hampshire Woman Fights the DMV Over Recalled Vanity Plate “PB4WEGO”

One woman from Rochester, New Hampshire, is being summoned by the Department of Motor Vehicles to turn in her 15-year-old vanity license plate on the grounds that it’s offensive, but she is fighting the decision.
N.H. mom fights for her right to keep the vanity license plate "PB4WEGO" 9 photos
Photo: Facebook / News Center Maine
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Her decision has earned her plenty of support, especially after she went public with it on social media and then made local headlines. Speaking with SeacoastOnline, Wendy Auger explains that she had the license plate on the old family van and moved it to her car when she bought a new Toyota. She initially thought about getting a new license plate, but DMV staff encouraged her to keep it because it was funny and good for a family with kids.

Unlike many other vanity license plates that make the headlines, Auger’s isn’t a political statement, but a common parental phrase. “PB4WEGO” stands for “pee before we go,” which is something every parent out there is sick and tired of telling their kids before any car ride, no matter how short. Yet the DMV is deeming it offensive, under the recent regulation that doesn’t allow references to excretory acts.

Auger is citing her right to free speech in her refusal to turn over the plate. She also says that no one from the DMV contacted her beforehand to ask what it stood for. Last but not least, since when is peeing offensive, she asks.

“Who has a mom or dad or parental figure who hasn’t said that to kids before leaving the house? I’m not the type to sit here with a picket, but come on,” Auger says. “It would just stink if I don’t have it anymore. If I have to take it off the plate, then I’m not going to be able to live free.”

The DMV would not comment on this particular case, because car registrations fall under state privacy laws. However, they did say that all license plates that “do not conform to legal requirements” must be recalled or denied, especially after recent regulations that clearly specify what is deemed offensive.

Stricter criteria for vanity plates were introduced in 2014, when another Rochester resident, David Montenegro, who now legally goes by human, won a Supreme Court case over his right to a vanity license plate that read “COPSLIE.” As a result of the ruling, the DMV highlighted specific criteria that would get your vanity license plate rejected.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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