Vanity license plates are fun, unique way of making sure your vehicle stands out from the rest. Whether you want to show off your gaming skills or favorite hobby, most of the time the plates are just a conversation starter. However, one woman in North Carolina is having to fight to keep her own personalized plate after the state's Department of Motor Vehicles said it received complaints.
Karly Sindy, of Asheville, was shocked to receive her DMV-approved "FART" license plate for her pickup truck after first applying for it in October. By February, however, she got an additional letter from the DMV stating the department had received complaints about the plate, ABC 11 reports.
Rather than immediately banning the plate, the DMV gave Sindy a chance to make her case of keeping it, asking why it is important. Thinking quickly, she and some friends devised the (now very real) group Friends of Asheville Recreational Trails and told the department the plate was the group's acronym.
Sindy even stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live to talk about her new "club," telling host Jimmy Kimmel about how the vanity plate makes people smile. That video can be seen below.
In a letter to the DMV, "F.A.R.T. Founder" Sindy called the group, "a local grassroots organization that promotes the responsible usage and appreciation for trails between the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountain region of North Carolina. Hence why FARTSM is so appropriate."
"I understand that our acronym can be misunderstood, and for this I do apologize to any citizen who may take offense in this message, but I assure you that this acronym serves as the identity for our organization," the letter continued. "F.A.R.T. operates with the best intentions to be stewards of the roads, wildlife, signage, and trails that connect North Carolina citizens to the countless beautiful natural areas in and around the Smokey Mountain Region. As the founder of this wonderful organization, I am proud the represent F.A.R.T. with my license plate, and to use it to help spread the word about the natural wonders around us."
Read Sindy's full letter here.
As of Monday (March 7), it is unclear if the DMV will allow Sindy to keep the plate.