A New Hampshire mother is fighting the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles to keep her longtime vanity license plate after they had a disagreement about its appropriateness.
Wendy Auger, of Rochester, has had her customized car license plate, which reads “PB4WEGO” for 15 years, according to Seacoast Online.
The initials stand for the phrase “pee before we go” — something Auger claims is commonly said by parents before getting in the car with their children.
However, the New Hampshire Department of Motor Vehicles has recently asked Auger to turn in her plates due to the fact that the state prohibits phrases related to excretory acts.
“Who has a mom or dad or parental figure who hasn’t said that to kids before leaving the house?” Auger asked the outlet following the recall. “I’m not the type to sit here with a picket, but come on.”
Auger explained that she had wanted the “PB4WEGO” plate for several years and “jumped on it” when New Hampshire increased its plate character limit from six to seven.
The phrase was then displayed on her family’s minivan and according to Auger, often caught the attention of other motorists and passersby who honked out of enjoyment or asked to take photographs of the plate.
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Though she considered getting rid of it when she bought a new car last year, Auger ultimately decided to keep it per the recommendation of a local DMV employee.
“It would just stink if I don’t have it anymore. If I have to take it off the plate, then I’m not going to be able to live free,” she told the outlet, referencing New Hampshire’s “Live Free or Die” state motto printed on their license plates.
Since receiving the recall, Auger has questioned why her plate was targeted, especially since she has never received any complaints about its content.
She also has plans to fight the DMV’s decision by filing an appeal over the matter, which she claims is an infringement on free speech, especially since she believes it’s not offensive, according to Seacoast Online.
Auger noted that an employee from the DMV has even offered to help her fight the recall, calling the request to turn in her plates “absurd”, the outlet reports.
Auger is one of 92 motorists in the state to receive vanity plate recalls this year as of last week, according to state records obtained by the outlet. The number is a stark contrast to the 111 total who were requested to turn in their plates in 2018.
In a statement to Seacoast Online, a spokesperson for the New Hampshire DMV explained that license plates are rejected “when they do not conform to legal requirements” set by the state legislature’s administrators.
The spokesperson also added that a plan is currently in place “to recall a plate should one be issued that should not have been,” but could not comment further on Auger’s case due to vehicle registrations being covered under state privacy laws.
At this time, it is unclear when the state plans on making a decision over Auger’s license plate.
Representatives at the New Hampshire Department of Safety and DMV did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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