State Asks Woman To Surrender ‘PB4WEGO’ License Plate She Had For 15 Years

Apr 02, 2023

Vanity license plates have been a popular choice for years. Everything from a person's name to nicknames like princess have emblazoned the backs of tailgates. Some people opt to have their license plate represent something meaningful or even spell out something funny.

Back in the early 2000s, a mom in New Hampshire hopped on the vanity license plate bandwagon and coined her own unique saying to place on her vehicle. "PB4WEGO" was the variety license plate that Wendy Auger, a busy mom of four, chose for her car. In the decade and a half that she had the vanity license plate, Auger said she received a variety of reactions. Some people took pictures while others honked, laughed, or gave her the thumbs-up sign as she drove by.

All of the reactions were positive, however, which is why Auger was so surprised when she opened up an official letter from the state of New Hampshire in 2019. The letter stated that her "PB4WEGO" vanity license plate violated their policy on no "excretory actions or functions" being inappropriately displayed on vehicles in the state. 

The saying on the plate is a cheeky way of spelling out "pee before we go,” something that Auger has said she always tells her four children before they embark on a road trip. For 15 years, there seemed to be no issues with Auger’s license plate, so when she received the letter from her state, she wanted to do something about it.

The mom was initially upset about having to give up her beloved vanity license plate but stated: “I wasn’t going to go down without a fight.”

Auger told CNN, “I’m not a political activist. But this is a non-offensive thing that I’ve had and it’s part of who we are as a family and who I am and there was zero reason for them to take it away.”

Her friend Corey West took it a step further, posting her story on Facebook and asking for his friends to share it to get the word out. The story of the funny vanity license plate quickly went viral, leading many news and media outlets to contact Auger for a statement.

Once word reached New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, he knew he had to correct this silly situation. The governor reached out to the Department of Motor Vehicles and insisted that Auger be allowed to keep her vanity license plate. According to CNN, Sununu reached out to Auger after getting the approval from the DMV and left her a voicemail stating that the situation had been cleared up and she was free to keep her "PB4WEGO" vanity license plates. 

“Upon this being brought to my attention, I reached out to the Division of Motor Vehicles and strongly urged them to allow Wendy to keep the license plate she has had for the last 15 years,’’ Sununu said. “I recently left a message on her phone to share the good news that her plate will not be recalled.’’

Auger said she was relieved that she was able to keep the vanity license plates that she's enjoyed for so many years. She posted her excitement in a Facebook post in August 2019 and wrote:

“This Sassy Momma Has Her Plates!!!”

Do you think Wendy Auger was justified in wanting to keep her vanity license plates, or do you think they should have been revoked? Let us know, and be sure to pass this funny story along for others to enjoy.