The Hidden Message On This California License Plate Has Gone Viral

A California driver managed to get a specialized license plate that spells a prohibited word when viewed in a mirror.

According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, personalized license plates cannot: “Be offensive or slang in ANY language,” “interchange letters and numbers to look like other plates,” or “resemble an existing license plate.” The driver of this truck slipped past the rules, Boing Boing reports.

Photo credit: Boing ​Boing

Plates can be personalized “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.”

In addition to personalized plates, California offers special interest plates, military plates, and historical plates.

Special interest plates reportedly help fund various state projects and programs, including those dealing with agriculture, the arts, coastal preservation, firefighters, pets, child health and safety, preservation, conservation, recreation and more.

Military plates include Congressional Medal of Honor, Gold Star Family, Legion of Valor, Pearl Harbor Survivor, Ex-Prisoner of War, and Purple Heart. In addition, “Veterans’ Organization plates are available to anyone who wishes to order one to represent their pride in the nation’s military.”

Photo credit: Boing ​Boing

Historical plates are also available “for motor vehicles that are of historical interest” that were built after 1922 and at least 24-years-old.

The first license plate of any kind was issued in 1901, when New York passed a law requiring motor vehicle owners to register with the state, reports Time magazine.

The law required license plates to include “the separate initials of the owner’s name placed upon the back thereof in a conspicuous place, the letters forming such initials to be at least three inches in height.”

A man named George F. Chamberlain received the first license plate issued.

Related Posts

I THOUGHT THEY WERE JUST CURIOUS DEER—UNTIL I SAW WHAT THE LITTLE ONE WAS CARRYING

As the sun set, a young deer approached the fence and gently dropped a cloth-wrapped bundle. Inside was a tarnished silver locket engraved with mysterious symbols. The…

The Milado Family Sells Iconic Property After Decades in Australia

For decades, the Miliado family’s three-acre property in Salisbury, Adelaide, stood as a green holdout amid a rapidly growing suburb. Purchased in the 1950s, the land was…

How to Choose a Watermelon That’s Just Right: A Complete Guide

There’s nothing better than biting into a sweet, juicy watermelon—but picking the right one can be tricky. Here’s how to choose the best every time: Sugar Spot:…

Your Narcis’sism Is Determined by the Number of Circles You Observe Investigating Optical Illusions

Few things on social media grab attention like quick, eye-catching personality tests. You’ve likely paused mid-scroll to count circles in a viral image claiming, “The number of…

We Adopted a Toddler — But My Husband’s First Bath with Him Revealed a Shocking Secret

After years of infertility, my husband Mark and I adopted Sam, a quiet three-year-old with ocean-blue eyes. We were overjoyed—until the moment Mark gave Sam his first…

What a Plastic Bottle on Your Tire Could Be Signaling

Car theft tactics are constantly evolving, and one of the latest schemes is deceptively simple: a plastic bottle placed on your car’s front passenger-side tire. It may…