Bumper Stickers

DEFINITION: Small printed signs on which brief messages are affixed to cars and other vehicles

SIGNIFICANCE: Trends toward uninhibited expression on bumper stickers have led to calls for legislation restricting what words may be displayed on vehicles

Bumper stickers have long been a popular form of political expression in the United States; during election years, campaign slogans and candidates’ names can be seen on countless vehicles. Since the 1960s, the subject appearing on bumper stickers has significantly diversified. Since then, millions of stickers have expressed the views of vehicle owners not only on politics but on religion, sports, music, drugs, the environment, and other issues. The proliferation of such stickers has introduced new clichés into the language and inspired conscious efforts at humor and parody. For example, a popular response to such stickers as “Save the Whales” and “Abolish Nuclear War” has been “Nuke the Whales!” In response to stickers that state, “God is My Copilot,” many have placed “Dog is My Copilot” stickers on their cars.

The general relaxation of American obscenity laws since the 1960s fostered increasingly uninhibited expression in bumper stickers—many of which contain words once regarded as legally “obscene.” Consequently, many states—including Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Washington, DC—specifically outlawed the display of “obscene” bumper stickers. A law enacted in Alabama in July 1987 was typical in making it “unlawful for any person to display in public any bumper sticker, sign or writing which depicts obscene language descriptive of sexual or excretory activities.”

After Alabama’s law was passed, a motorist named Wayne Baker put a sticker on his truck with the words, “How’s My Driving? Call 1-800-EAT-S——!” spoofing signs such as “How’s My Driving? Call 1-800-2-ADVISE,” which are commonly seen on commercial vehicles. Soon afterward, Baker was stopped by a police officer, who informed him that this bumper sticker violated state law. The officer threatened Baker with a fine unless he removed the sticker’s last two words. Baker agreed to scratch out the offending language, but he later filed suit in federal district court, claiming that his First Amendment rights had been violated. The court agreed and struck down Alabama’s law in 1991.

Still, in the twenty-first century, Alabama and other states, such as Tennessee and South Carolina, continued to have laws criminalizing obscene bumper stickers. However, because courts consistently upheld the free speech of defendants in such cases, violators were rarely prosecuted. Courts continued to protect free speech, arguing that offensive language did not constitute obscenity. An example of this was seen in the 2019 case of Dillon Shane Webb, who was pulled over in Florida for driving with a bumper sticker that read "I EAT A——." The charges were dropped when prosecutors argued for Webb's First Amendment rights. Although Webb sued the officers, a US district judge granted qualified immunity to the arresting officers.

Even in the digital age, bumper stickers remained relevant to popular culture. In Massachusetts, an individual was arrested for defacing property in 2025 when he targeted Tesla automobiles with derogatory stickers of Elon Musk. Although states such as Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee still had laws criminalizing obscene bumper stickers, stickers regardless of how profane or provocative remained protected by the First Amendment.

Bibliography

Endersby, James W., and Michael J. Towle. "Tailgate Partisanship: Political and Social Expression through Bumper Stickers." Social Science Journal, vol. 33, no. 3, July 1996, p. 307. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=9607313915&site=ehost-live. Accessed 11 Aug. 2025.

Leonatti, Andrew. "Are Offensive Bumper Stickers Illegal?" FindLaw, 7 July 2021, www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/legally-weird/are-offensive-bumper-stickers-illegal. Accessed 11 Aug. 2025.

Rivers, Stephen. “Boston Man Arrested For Slapping Stickers On Teslas, Musk Responds.” Carscoops, 6 Mar. 2025, www.carscoops.com/2025/03/man-arrested-for-slapping-stickers-on-tesla-cars-musk-responds. Accessed 11 Aug. 2025.

Weiss, Debra Cassens. "Cop Who Arrested Man for Vulgar Bumper Sticker is Entitled to Qualified Immunity, Federal Judge Rules." ABA Journal, 30 Sept. 2021, www.abajournal.com/news/article/cop-who-arrested-man-for-i-eat-as-bumper-sticker-is-entitled-to-qualified-immunity-federal-judge-rules#google_vignette. Accessed 11 Aug. 2025.