Too naughty to drive: Why Illinois rejected nearly 400 license plate requests in 2022

Nearly 400 requests for personalized or vanity license plates were rejected by the Illinois secretary of state’s office in 2022 because they were deemed offensive, joining a list of more than 7,000 other alphanumeric combinations previously rejected. (Photo illustration)

There are nearly 1 million vehicles on the road with vanity or personalized license plates issued by the Illinois secretary of state’s office.

But there are 7,387 alphanumeric combinations requested for such license plates over the years that will never make it to a vehicle’s bumper, including 383 rejected in 2022 alone.