In the quest for a personalized touch on Ohio’s roadways, some drivers have tried to push the envelope of creativity a little too far.
The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) acts as the vigilant guardian, ensuring that vanity plates adhere to a certain level of decorum. They have some basic ground rules when it comes to creating your own plates.
1. When Wit Meets the Censorship Wall:
Crafting the perfect blend of humor and appropriateness is an art form. Unfortunately, not everyone hits the mark. The BMV often plays the role of the comedy critic, ensuring that plates don’t venture into the realms of obscenity, violence, or immediate lawlessness.
2. Innuendo Overdrive:
Ohioans, like any group of people, love a good laugh. However, attempts at clever innuendos or veiled meanings on license plates have often left BMV employees scratching their heads. Balancing wit and subtlety is a delicate dance, and some plates simply tripped over the rhythm.
3. Profanity Pitfalls:
The allure of a witty play on words sometimes leads motorists to dabble in the realm of profanity. The BMV, ever the arbiter of good taste, has had to put the brakes on plates that might raise more eyebrows than smiles.
4. Provoking a Smile, Not a Scowl:
While humor is encouraged, the BMV draws the line at plates that could potentially provoke a violent response or suggest immediate lawlessness. Finding the sweet spot between a chuckle and a scowl is crucial for those aiming to stand out on the streets.
5. Slang Gone Awry:
The ever-evolving landscape of language sees new sayings and slang popping up. Some drivers try to leverage these linguistic trends for a unique plate, but not every phrase gets the BMV’s stamp of approval. It seems the road to linguistic creativity is paved with rejected plates.
So what exactly did people try to get away with?
Here’s a lighthearted look at the rejected vanity plates that had the BMV raising an eyebrow and hitting the brakes on their journey to the streets.
This person really didn’t care:
This person is at least giving you a fair warning:
We should probably ask where this one was on January 6:
I personally think we should start a petition to grant this one:
And finally, a sentiment we’ve all felt a time or two:
In total, there were over 800 plates denied over the last year. If you’d like to see a full list, please click here.
Featured image via Ohio BMV Facebook.