Pervs kept stealing the 'mile 69' highway marker, so it was replaced with this

2019 has barely started, and we've already suffered a great loss: A "69" mile marker is gone forever, and will not be replaced.

The Washington Department of Transportation is sick and tired of people stealing the marker (notably known as the ~sex number~) so it's replacing the highway sign with one that says "68.9."

"Thieves show no signs of slowing down," a local CBS station reported. Watch the mildly painful banter between the two anchors as they debate the accuracy of the sign without cracking up over its reference to a sex position.

Washington officials have also had to replace a "420" marker with the much less entertaining "419.9." Sometimes they skip the marker altogether.

"Depending on location and what was taken, we can replace the sign or, at times, leave one blank — so there would be a 419 and 421 mile-marker but not a 420," Washington DOT spokesperson Beth Bousley told the Seattle Times.

The representative also said that by changing the signs to ones with decimal points, "they still give drivers location information without being a popular number to steal."

And although a bright green "69" or "420" would look sick in your weird friend's frat house basement, it's a huge burden on taxpayers. Replacing the markers can cost up to $1,000 each, and the state of Washington has had to replace 608 signs since 2012.

"I guess I can understand it on a juvenile level," Washington State Patrol spokesperson said in the Seattle Times, "But it's not necessarily funny when you take into account the issues it causes."

Besides, you can get a custom road sign made for under $30 if you really want to grace your beer pong table with reflective 420.