The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles determined that 408 requests for personalized plates didn’t meet the standards that prohibit offensive messages.
Common themes in rejected plates include bathroom humor and body parts that are not printable for the newspaper. Some drivers tried to sneak sexual messages on their license plates such as XVIDEOS, XXX LADY, and PORNHUB.
Some of the rejected plates showed signs of aggression such as MURDAAA, 1H8PPL and KILL4ME.
Hate toward institutions: IOWA SUX, F THE IRS, OSU H8R, F ICHIGN
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So what are the Ohio BMV standards?
When reviewing requests for special license plates, the BMV rejects requests that:
1) Contain words, combinations, and/or phrases that are so profane, obscene, sexually explicit or scatological.
2) Contains words, combinations, and/phrases that are so offensive that they could reasonably be expected to provoke a violent response from viewers without additional comment.
3) Contains words, combinations, and/or phrases that advocate immediate lawlessness or advocate lawless activities.
These prohibitions apply to any language, read either frontward or backward.
Chief of vehicle information services Devon Riggins told The Toledo Blade that 200-300 personalized plates are requested every day in Ohio. The vast majority are harmless and get approved, but some are red-flagged.
“We’re looking at whether it is sexually explicit, whether it promotes lawlessness, and if it may incite somebody to react violently if they see your plate,” Riggins said. “People are requesting phrases to honor someone, celebrate a moment or achievement in their life. They’re typically light-hearted and fairly innocent.”
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