Based on hundreds of requests for vanity license plates, it’s easy to conclude that some motorists on the road have their minds in the gutter.
This year, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles determined that 408 requests for personalized plates did not 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.
Please be advised, the following submissions contain sensitive content which some readers may find offensive. 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.
So, what gets your license plate denied in the first place? The state spells out its rejection criteria in three clear guidelines:
Contain words, combination, and/or phrases (in any language and when read either frontward or backward) that are profane (that is, swearwords or expletives) obscene, sexually explicit or scatological.
Contains words, combinations, and/or phrases that are offensive that they could reasonably be expected to provoke a violent response from viewers without additional comment.
Beginning July 1, 2020, vehicles in Ohio will no longer need to have the front plate. It was part of a compromised deal reached by lawmakers in a two-year state transportation budget bill.
