No Illinois drivers will be “BRICKED” on the roads next year.
Nor will they bear state registration plates with “TYPESHT,” “IBPOOPN” or “ICUP,” despite praise from Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias for vanity plate applicants’ creativity.
All four were among the list of more than 550 “inflammatory, profane, offensive or too difficult to read” vanity license plate requests rejected by Giannoulias’ office. They were a small portion of the nearly 56,000 applications it received this year, according to his office.
“Illinoisans consistently show off their creativity on customized license plates, but anything that hits the road has to meet the standards of good taste and decency,” Giannoulias said in a statement Monday. “Our team is fluent in lewd lingo and sneaky swearing — and they catch it all.”
The secretary of state said the license plate rejection process was educational. He said he now knows what a BBL, or Brazilian butt lift, is.
“If this is how you refer to your Prius, there’s a show on TLC for you,” Giannoulias says in a video after reading out “PRIUSSY.”
Giannoulias has the authority to reject applications for the customizable plates that create “a connotation that is offensive to good taste and decency,” according to Illinois’ vehicle code. Other plates, such as the previously rejected “MWMWMWM” or “OOQQOO,” were also sent to the bin as the office decided they could confuse law enforcement.
Those denied requests land on a permanent list of prohibited plates maintained by the office, which has grown to 8,558. It has added 543 letter and number combinations this year.
Nearly 800,000 vehicles statewide have the customizable plates, down more than 11,000 from the start of the year. The plates cost drivers an extra $47 for a combination of letters and numbers. Letter-exclusive plates cost an extra $94.
Those inspired by the creative plate ideas of their state compatriots can check to see if their own creations will pass the state’s sniff test while applying for new plates on the office’s website.
“Go ahead and get creative, but keep it clean and avoid ending up on the naughty list,” Giannoulias said.