stuart in mn
stuart in mn Dork
6/28/08 6:24 p.m.

RALEIGH, N.C. - Thanks to some text message-savvy grandchildren, North Carolina drivers whose license plates have the potentially offensive “WTF” letter combination can replace the tags for free.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Tuesday that the state Division of Motor Vehicles has notified nearly 10,000 holders of license plates with the letter combination. Officials learned last year that the common acronym stands for a vulgar phrase in e-mail and cell phone text messages.

But this week, the DMV officials got another surprise when they learned that the same letters appeared on the agency’s own Web site on a sample personalized plate.

“I can’t believe it,” DMV Commissioner Bill Gore said Monday when told about the online glitch. “Obviously, I didn’t know it was there.”

Officials are working to remove the sample plate.

The WTF-5505 used on the Web site’s sample plate was the first random letter combination available when the DMV switched from blue- to red-lettered plates, officials said. DMV spokeswoman Marge Howell received a sample plate WTF-5506 to use as a prop for news stories about the switch.

A 60-year-old technology teacher from Fayetteville complained about the plate last July after her teenage grandchildren clued her in.

Dr. Hess
Dr. Hess SuperDork
6/28/08 7:55 p.m.

They had FTW plates here. I wanted one. And I ain't talking about da win.

jamscal
jamscal HalfDork
6/28/08 9:13 p.m.

The KYR region of the Scca instituted a auto-x class on a trial basis this year: Street Tire Fully Unlimited.

Yea, STFU.

It's STO now.

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
6/28/08 11:06 p.m.

I know of a certain manufacturer who received 14 FU as a plate. (The 14 was a constant, followed by two random letters.) The person in charge of their press fleet assigned it to a car based in New York.

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH Dork
6/29/08 8:44 a.m.
jamscal wrote: The KYR region of the Scca instituted a auto-x class on a trial basis this year: Street Tire Fully Unlimited. Yea, STFU. It's STO now.

Aww too bad, it would have been awesome to tell people your car is in STFU class

Woodyhfd
Woodyhfd HalfDork
6/29/08 9:38 a.m.

I recently saw a regular series (non-vanity) plate :

666*STD

That's just bad luck.

z31maniac
z31maniac HalfDork
6/29/08 9:56 a.m.

Geez, people really suck this bad at life that something like this would offend them?

confuZion3
confuZion3 HalfDork
6/29/08 11:26 a.m.

There is a guy who I used to see at auto-x events at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen MD who raced in STU. He always slipped a tiny F in between the T and the U. Hence, STfU. It made me laugh.

I want a plate like: FKRZFST, or FKNFAST -- something to that effect.

I saw the former on a Corvette once (in a photo). The only reasons I don't have one now is that 1.) I'm not sure if PA is stupid enough to give me a plate like that and 2.) I don't have a car that would live up to the plate -- I'd get laughed at.

seann
seann New Reader
6/29/08 1:20 p.m.

WTF, and WTFC

z31maniac
z31maniac HalfDork
6/29/08 7:32 p.m.

WTFBBQ

Twin_Cam
Twin_Cam Dork
6/29/08 8:59 p.m.

Some of the STU guys in the Philly region (and probably everywhere else) put tiny 'F's in between the 'T's and 'U's as a joke. I enjoyed it.

PA has FTW as well...

93gsxturbo
93gsxturbo New Reader
6/29/08 9:35 p.m.

This guy in my car club has FNQUIK on his Trans Am. He told the DMV it meant Finally Quick.

Wall-e
Wall-e SuperDork
6/29/08 11:20 p.m.

I wanted to try this one

pinchvalve
pinchvalve SuperDork
6/30/08 6:57 a.m.

Why would the Acronym for the Southern Farmers Tenant Union be offensive? Or the World Trade Federation?

I know, I know...STFU.

Jensenman
Jensenman SuperDork
6/30/08 8:09 a.m.

I had a guy once who picked up the plates for his new van and it was WNS 666. He freaked and refused to take the tag, he swore it meant Why Not Satan 666. (need rolleyes emoticon here.)

We use those paper windshield tag numbers here at work, they are printed sequentially. I have a co worker who will not use any of them which have 3 6's in a row (1666, 2666, 3666, etc). I use them just to get him wound up.

billy3esq
billy3esq Dork
6/30/08 12:53 p.m.

I saw a car with 666 BST (non-vanity). I would love to have that plate.

Salanis
Salanis Dork
6/30/08 12:57 p.m.

When my parents ran the local ISP 15 years back, they had a guy sign up who lived at 666 Dead Cat Alley.

AngryCorvair
AngryCorvair HalfDork
6/30/08 1:00 p.m.

we had a truck at work with 6668 JC on the plate. first time i saw it, i said "holy E36 M3, satan ate jesus!" nobody freaked, several of us laughed, and that plate stayed on the vehicle until the lease expired.

confuZion3
confuZion3 HalfDork
6/30/08 2:12 p.m.

WTFWJD? <--- Is that blasphemous?

mistanfo
mistanfo Dork
6/30/08 2:23 p.m.
confuZion3 wrote: There is a guy who I used to see at auto-x events at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen MD who raced in STU. He always slipped a tiny F in between the T and the U. Hence, STfU. It made me laugh. I want a plate like: FKRZFST, or FKNFAST -- something to that effect. I saw the former on a Corvette once (in a photo). The only reasons I don't have one now is that 1.) I'm not sure if PA is stupid enough to give me a plate like that and 2.) I don't have a car that would live up to the plate -- I'd get laughed at.

FKRZFST is gone now. I believe that the VADMV made him replace it. A fellow Miata club member had MAD 469, and it was just the next random plate in line. This was in MD.

CrackMonkey
CrackMonkey Reader
6/30/08 3:01 p.m.

WTFWJD is not available in VA. :(

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