A recent custom license plate order from a California pickup truck owner has been causing alarm on the internet. The message, which includes the letters and numbers 3J0H22A, may not seem very controversial at first glance. However, when the plate is viewed in a mirror, its true meaning is revealed. Anyone who looks at the Toyota pickup truck through their side mirrors or rear-view mirror will see a message that is quite shocking.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles has several restrictions in place for what is considered an appropriate vanity license plate. These personalized plates cannot break any of the following rules: they cannot “Be offensive or slang in ANY language,” “interchange letters and numbers to look like other plates,” or “resemble an existing license plate.”
This driver, on the other hand, circumvented the rules since their plate was only contentious when viewed in a mirror. The word “A**hole” is legible on the plate when seen through a mirror.
You can change your plates. “with your own combination of letters, numbers, and other characters,” said the state’s DMV. “Standard plates that are personalized allow for 2 to 7 characters. Other personalized license [plates can have] a varying number of characters based on what kind of plate you choose to personalize.”
This driver is going to get a lot of flak for their license plate choice. The play on words with the “A**hole” message is not appropriate for public display, and it will be interesting to see if the DMV does anything about it. In the meantime, this pickup truck owner is sure to get a lot of attention from other drivers on the road.
Drivers in other states have been known to do similar work-arounds with their own DMV rules. In one case, a car owner ordered a vanity plate that displayed a curse word when viewed from the right angle.
When you look closer at the license plate in the image, you’ll notice that it isn’t simply any old message. When looked into a mirror, the letters and digits on plate produce a secret “F*** you” message. This pickup truck owner is certain to attract some scowls from other drivers on the road as a result of this vanity plate.
California has DMV restrictions in place for what is allowed on vanity license plates. The plate cannot be longer than seven characters and must include either a letter or number. Furthermore, it cannot have any offensive language or images.
This pickup truck owner receives disapproving looks from others on the road because, when seen in the side or rear-view mirror, it reads “A**hole” in all capital letters.
Only time will tell whether California authorities revoke this driver’s license plate. The language on the plate is incredibly offensive, and it can easily be read as a slur when viewed in a mirror. Because of this, the DMV is likely to order the driver to get another plate for their truck. But will the driver find some other way to offend people? Only time will tell.
