COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohioans had a lot to say in 2024 … on their personalized license plates, and some thoughts were too racy to be approved.
The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles rejected almost 1,000 license plate requests last year.
Hundreds of people tried to put profanity on their personalized plates. The Ohio BMV rejected the highest number of license plate requests since 2021: 939, up 163 from 2023.
Many went for a joke, others tried to sneak profanity in and some talked about drugs. Someone tried to put 'HEROIN' on their license plate. Others tried 'CRAKDLR' and 'KOKANE'.
There were attempts at references to violence and crime, 'MVRDER' and 'KIA GIRLZ,' a reference to a name associated with teenagers stealing Kia cars in the area.
Even if it’s just the letter 'f' the BMV didn’t let it fly, especially if it was before the letters 'u' and 'k' or after the letters 'm' and 'a'.
Around 320 applications were rejected for having a curse word or reference to one in it. That’s about a third of all 2024 applications.
New Jersey got some heat, with one plate using the letters 'f' and 'u' to describe their feelings about the state.
Others focused on Ohio, with the plate 'IH8OH1O' getting rejected.
There were quite a few references to private parts, bathroom jokes and adult activities.
Some were pretty easy to figure out: 'SCAMMER', 'I SCAM', 'YT PRVLG' and 'I HT PPL'. A few people expressed their dislike of The Team Up North. Others may have needed a search to figure out.
People got political too, with a few referencing President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
There were fewer political-themed personal license plate applications in 2024. The Ohio BMV rejected almost 50 political messages in 2021. Last year, it was fewer than 10.
