DMV accidentally allows driver to 'EAT THE KIDS FIRST' by approving a cheeky license plate



The Department of Motor Vehicles is known around the country as the least fun bureaucracy, where errands tend to take hours and visitors are regularly met with disgruntled workers.



The Virginia DMV is no exception.



Naughty: the original license plates were deemed offensive and banned



One man created quite a circus in 2008 when his personalized license plate was revoked by the Virginia DMV because it spelled out 'EAT THE KIDS FIRST'. The drama has hit the roads again, since one driver spotted some Virginia plates, playing on the same joke, that finagled its way past the DMV's eyes.



By substituting a 'T' for a '7', the driver of a blue Mustang was able to get away with plates that read 'EA7 THE KIDS FIRST'.

After the thought of eating the kids ruffled some feathers, other plates popped up that suggested 'SLAP' as a viable alternative.

Like all states, Virginia uses vanity license plates as a way to raise money for charity.

According to a 2007 national study done by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, there are 9.7 million vehicles with personalized plates roaming the roads of every state and the District of Columbia.



The plates cost between $10 and $15, and have a $25 annual registration fee, $15 of which goes to the sponsored charity.



The original jokester, Garth Yeaman, stumbled upon a charity plate that has a picture of a child's red hand print and has the words 'Kids First' listed on the bottom.



Alternatives: other personalized plates are less controversial



'I was really bored and like any 20-year-old male I surf the Internet and I was on the DMV website and there's this place where you can through all the possible plates,' Yeaman said. 'I thought 'I can do something funny with this plate'.'



Unfortunately, the DMV didn't find the joke quite so much hilarious as offensive.



They sent Yeaman a letter demanding the plates back because 'some people initially view the plate, 'the vision of cannibalism of children conjures a truly horrible image. Others may view the message as being "vulgar in nature,' associated "eat the kids" with oral sex.'



Yeaman, who is training to become certified as a maths teacher, thought that their reaction was absurd.

'They thought I was condoning cannibalism, like the actual cooking and eating of children,' Yeaman said.

After he lost the case, Yeaman returned the offensive plates. After having several other humorous options denied, he now rides his 1994 Miata around with plates that call out the police, reading 'OHNO5OH' .