California license plate has a hidden message – and it’s going viral across the world

I can vividly remember when I was a teenager and had just gotten my driver’s license. The sense of promised freedom was enthralling, the sense of accomplishment at having passed my driving test extremely gratifying.

No sooner had me and a few of my friends earned the right to be on the road, than did we set about trying to take the beat up, old bangers that passed for cars – the only vehicles we could afford – and make them prettier with the small amount of money available to us.

It wasn’t exactly Pimp My Ride, but we did the best we could. Moreover, it was virtually a level playing field with regards to how we were able to improve our respective motors. That was until a close friend of mine got a new license plate from his grandparents for his birthday.

Regardless of what you think to people getting custom plates for their cars, you have to understand that when I was young there was nothing cooler in my mind. Which is probably why this particular story caught my eye.

It concerns a California license plate and the controversial hidden message the owner of the car buried in a rather clever, if a little crude way. Read on below for more…

Credit / Imgur

If you’ve spent any amount of time on the road, you’ll likely have seen your fair share of personalized license plates. Usually they’re a nod to the owner of the vehicle; perhaps a name or nickname they go by. A small, select few go for a more comic approach, conjuring clever, one-word offerings through letters and numbers that are enough to at least make the rest of us smile as we drive past.

Yet I know for a certainty that I’ve never seen a license plate quite like one that turned up in California. On the face of it, it merely appears an innocent assembly, reading: “3JOH22A“.

Only, there’s more to this plate than meets the eye. So much more, in fact, that I’m positively stunned it was able to get past the DMV.

As per reports, a picture of the plate was uploaded to Imgur after being snapped by an eagle-eyed passerby. Some people are calling it “genius”. Others are naturally a little less impressed.

Now, those of you who took the time to really study the plate before scrolling down might still be scratching your head as to what the hidden meaning is. There be even be some among you who have figured it out – and are subsequently chuckling away.

While on the face of it “3JOH22A” doesn’t mean anything, the ‘genius’ of this assortment of letters and numbers becomes visible when studied through, say, a rear-view mirror.

That’s right, if you see vehicle driving in your wake (providing you’re seeing it through your mirrors) you’ll see the word “A22HOLE” staring back at you!

Crude? Absolutely. But it would appear that there are a lot of people who appreciate the owner’s creativity.

What do you think? Is this taking it too far? Let us know your thoughts in the comments box.

Meanwhile, share this article if it was enough to give you a chuckle.

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