A New Hampshire woman found herself at the center of an unexpected controversy after the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles asked her to give up a vanity license plate she had displayed for 15 years. The plate read “PB4WEGO,” a shorthand many parents instantly recognize as “Pee before we go.” State officials determined the message conflicted with regulations that restrict references to bodily functions on personalized plates.
The plate’s owner, Wendy Auger, a bartender from the Gonic neighborhood of Rochester, said she was surprised by the request. For more than a decade, the phrase had drawn smiles rather than complaints. Auger maintained that the message was playful and familiar—a lighthearted reminder many adults have said to children before heading out the door. She argued that the phrase was harmless and expressed frustration that it was now being flagged after years without issue.
Supporters quickly voiced their opinions, with some pointing to New Hampshire’s well-known state motto, “Live Free or Die,” as part of a broader conversation about personal expression. Auger herself kept a sense of humor about the situation, joking that losing the plate “would stink,” leaning into the pun that sparked the debate. She explained that she had secured the plate years earlier when the state expanded its character limit from six to seven letters, allowing the full phrase to fit.
State officials later clarified that vanity plate guidelines had been tightened following a New Hampshire Supreme Court directive, which required clearer standards around potentially offensive language. Due to privacy policies, they declined to discuss specifics about Auger’s case. As the review process continued, the situation highlighted the ongoing balancing act between personal expression and regulatory oversight—showing how even a playful phrase can spark a statewide conversation.