Kentucky Reverses Ban on Lexington Dentist's 'PRAY4' License Plate
Lexington, Kentucky dentist Susan Burton will now no longer have to worry about losing her personalized license plate after the state reversed its initial decision.
A couple of weeks ago, Dr. Burton received a letter from the state's Transportation Cabinet which informed her that her personalized license plate, which said "PRAY4," was rejected because it did not meet certain requirements, Newsweek reported.
The state added that Dr. Burton, a practicing Christian, needed to return her license plate to the Fayette County Clerk's Office within 20 days from the date of the letter's arrival or else her vehicle's registration would be canceled.
The letter did not fully detail why her personalized license plate did not meet the state's established requirements.
Dr. Burton was surprised by the contents of the letter and even wondered if it was just a prank. She even told Newsweek that she was "blown out the window" by the whole thing.
Now, the state has changed its tune.
In a statement given to Newsweek, the state's Department of Vehicle Regulations admitted to making a mistake when it came to interpreting the statute for personalized license plates.
A statement from the department says that the misinterpretation "resulted in an incorrect preliminary determination to reject her request."
Instead of potentially canceling her vehicle's registration, the state is now working with Dr. Burton to reissue the "PRAY4" plate.
According to a report from the Courier-Journal, Dr. Burton was also called personally by Transportation Cabinet Secretary Greg Thomas to apologize for what was happened.
Prior to the state officially reversing its decision regarding her personalized license plate, Dr. Burton said that a Kentucky lawyer, Matthew Henderson, informed her that she should never have received the letter that started this whole thing due to it not having gone through the right channels.
Dr. Burton initially wanted something else to be on her customized license plate, but upon applying for one, she found out that "PRAY" had already been taken by someone else.
She settled instead for the "PRAY4" license plate and her hope is that when people are tailing her on the road, they will see the message on her car and be inspired to do exactly what it says.
"It jogs the memory to let people know they can pray for something. It's a reminder," said Dr. Burton.
Dr. Burton even revealed that driving around with her "PRAY4" license plate has caused many people to give her compliments.