A man who bought a personalized license plate for his Lamborghini, reading “370H55V,” had it canceled by Texas’ Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) due to an alleged obscenity.
At first glance, the plate seems harmless, but it was flagged by the DMV in 2019 as offensive. Safer Hassan had been driving with the plate for months before receiving a letter stating, “It has been determined that the personalization is offensive,” and he was instructed to change it within 30 days.
Despite the DMV’s decision, many people online were puzzled by the cancellation. One commenter on a YouTube news clip said, “If you have to tell us it’s offensive, it’s not offensive,” while others called it a waste of time and resources. One person even added, “I’m not offended, I’m actually impressed.”
So, what was the hidden offensive phrase? When turned upside down, the plate reads “a**hole,” a detail Hassan himself claims he hadn’t noticed before.
“Who in the world spends their time reading plates upside down? Sounds like a Karen,” one commenter wrote online.
Speaking to KPRC2 in a video uploaded to YouTube in April 2019, Hassan explained, “I had it for more than three years without any problem. People have no idea what that plate means. My closest friends don’t even know. I definitely think the state has over-reached its boundaries.”
A spokesperson for the Texas DMV clarified that bans on personalized plates are enforced only if the plate causes a reaction from other drivers. Under state rules, plates referencing sex acts, swear words, or excretory functions are prohibited. Once these are flagged, they are not allowed on specialty license plates in Texas.
In another quirky license plate story, a woman in New York was hit with thousands of dollars in parking fines due to ‘Trekkies’ replicating her personalized plate.
Breda Koorey had the plate “NCC-1701” as a tribute to Star Trek, only to find herself inundated with fines meant for other drivers sporting the same plate number, which is the identification for the spaceship “USS Enterprise.”
