The next time you’re on the road, you might notice something different about the license plate of the car ahead of you, and it’s a change that’s causing some confusion.
11 Investigates has learned that license plate recognition cameras, including some on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, are having trouble with two specific numbers. Pennsylvania’s new license plate design is causing identification errors for drivers and enforcement cameras that are mistaking the state’s new slashed zero for the number eight.
The redesign was originally implemented to help distinguish the number zero from the letter “O,” but technical issues with license plate recognition cameras have led to incorrect toll invoices and parking disputes.
The change was prompted by a 2020 incident in which a vehicle on the North Side was wrongfully booted for unpaid tickets. A parking officer had mistakenly entered the letter “O” instead of a zero for a personalized “MZ-JONEZ” plate. Following the driver’s suggestion to make the characters more distinct, state officials added a diagonal slash to the zero, a move PennDOT describes as a national best practice.
The issue became apparent after a driver received a Toll By Plate invoice for a vehicle with a license plate ending in 88. The driver’s actual plate ended in 08. While the diagonal slash was intended to clear up confusion between zeros and letters, it has introduced a visual similarity to the number eight for both human observers and automated systems.
Crispin Havener, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Turnpike, said the issue is not widespread but acknowledged that license plate recognition cameras sometimes struggle.
“I mean, there is more of a diagonal to it when you look at it, but the machine is learning as I mentioned, you know it’s not perfect yet,” Havener said. He noted that the technology requires time to adjust to the new character design.
The turnpike is currently collaborating with technology partners to address these misreads.
“We’re working with our software vendor right now to try to work on that issue. It’s something that just unfortunately will take a little bit of time to continue to improper accuracy,” Havener said.
The Pittsburgh Parking Authority also reported early difficulties with cameras misidentifying characters on the new plates. Officials there stated that the agency was able to resolve the errors through a software upgrade.
PennDOT designed the plate after consulting with the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. In a statement, PennDOT defended the design as a best practice recommended by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. The agency expects that as more plates enter the system, automated readers will better identify the slashed zero.
Some residents have suggested that the state should simply eliminate the letter “O” from plate configurations to avoid the need for a slash. One driver, Bruce, questioned the effectiveness of the current design.
“I think Pennsylvania ought to be able to design a license plate where you can read the numbers,” Bruce said. “That’s the first thing.”
The Pennsylvania Turnpike immediately dismissed the incorrect invoice reported by the viewer. Officials stated that the most effective way for drivers to avoid billing confusion is to use an E-ZPass transponder, which relies on a signal from the device rather than a camera scan of the license plate.
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