One California pickup truck owner ordered a custom license plate that has since gone viral. That vanity plate, which included the letters and numbers 3J0H22A, may not seem very controversial. However, when the plate is viewed in a mirror, the true message becomes clear. Anyone who looks at the Toyota pickup truck through their side mirrors or rear-view mirror will see a message that has a lot of shock value.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles has rules around what is appropriate for a vanity license plate. These personalized plates cannot break any of the following rules. Plates in California cannot “Be offensive or slang in ANY language,” “interchange letters and numbers to look like other plates,” or “resemble an existing license plate.”
However, this driver managed to break the rules because they created a plate that was only controversial when viewed through a mirror. When looking at the plate by a mirror, the plate reads as “A**hole.”
Plates can be modified “with your own combination of letters, numbers, and other characters,” notes 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 likely to receive a lot of backlash for their choice of license plate. The “A***hole” message is not appropriate for public display, and it will be interesting to see if the DMV takes any action against the driver. In the meantime, this pickup truck owner is sure to get a lot of attention from other drivers on the road.
Other drivers in other states have done similar things to get around DMV rules. In one instance, the car owner ordered a vanity plate that made a controversial curse when viewed the right way.
If you take a closer look at the license plate in the photo, you’ll see that it’s not just any ordinary message. The letters and numbers on the plate create a hidden “F*** You” message when viewed in a mirror. Needless to say, this pickup truck owner is sure to get some disapproving looks from other drivers on the road.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles has rules around what is appropriate for a vanity license plate. These personalized plates cannot break any of the following rules. Plates in California must include either a letter or number and cannot be longer than seven characters. Additionally, they must not contain offensive language or images.
When this pickup truck is seen through the side mirror or rear-view mirror, it reads “A**hole” in all capital letters. Needless to say, this pickup truck owner is sure to get some disapproving looks from other drivers on the road.
Time will tell whether California’s DMV will crack down on this driver. Because the license plate is exceedingly offensive when viewed through a mirror, it is likely that authorities will revoke it and demand that the driver order another plate for their Toyota pickup truck. But will the driver figure out another way to offend their fellow Californians? Only time will tell.