A Long Island man is pushing back against the New York DMV after the agency revoked his “PB4WEGO” vanity plate, a phrase he had proudly displayed on his car for more than five years. Seth Bykofsky, 69, of West Hempstead, says he received a letter in January informing him the custom plate was no longer considered compliant following an internal DMV review.
Five Years, 15 States, No Problems — Until Now
Bykofsky says he drove with the plate across roughly 15 states without a single issue since it was first issued. The phrase itself is a shortened version of “pee before we go,” a lighthearted nod to the classic parental reminder before any road trip. He said the DMV’s notice simply stated that its screening process had determined the plate no longer met current standards, without elaborating on what specifically changed. He has since removed the vanity plate and replaced it with a standard-issue plate.
A Plate Years in the Making
According to Bykofsky, he tried to secure the personalized combination for years before it finally became available, and the payoff was a plate his kids and grandkids found genuinely funny every time they saw it. The DMV hasn’t publicly detailed what prompted the reassessment or specified exactly which compliance issue triggered the January notice, leaving Bykofsky without a clear explanation for why a plate approved for half a decade suddenly failed review.
Taking the Fight to the Governor’s Office
Bykofsky has appealed directly to Gov. Kathy Hochul, asking her office to intervene in the DMV’s decision. As part of his case, he points to a similar situation in New Hampshire, where a driver was allowed to keep the identical phrase on a plate. Bykofsky says he’s since connected with that driver while building his appeal, hoping the precedent helps his case.
For now, the revocation stands and the original plate is off his vehicle. Bykofsky says that if New York doesn’t reverse course, he plans to hold onto the plate as a personal keepsake rather than surrender it for destruction. He’s still waiting to hear back from state officials on whether the decision will be revisited.