- Pennsylvania’s new license plate is baffling toll cameras statewide.
- Some drivers are getting toll bills for trips they never took at all.
- Officials say software updates will eventually fix the problem for good.
New license plates can sometimes mean big bucks for the state and commemorate certain things at the same time. Pennsylvania was aiming for that with its new 250th anniversary Liberty Bell plate. Instead, the design is now creating a big headache for residents. Toll cameras see the plate’s new slashed zero as an eight, and it’s sending out tickets to the wrong folks.
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The irony here is hard to miss. PennDOT designed the updated license plate specifically to improve legibility. The slashed zero was intended to prevent confusion between “0” and “O,” a problem both humans and machines have dealt with for years. The change was also backed by recommendations from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, which promotes best practices for plate readability.
But solving one recognition issue appears to have created another.
Rather than scrap the plate design, officials say the fix will come through recalibration and software updates. As more plates pass through scanners, the systems are expected to “learn” the difference between a slashed zero and an eight. That process, however, won’t happen overnight.
ABC 6 first reported the issue and the state’s response. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission acknowledged the problem and clarified that not all toll cameras are affected, though there is a catch. The issue extends beyond tolling equipment. Any agency that relies on automated license plate readers (ALPRs) could encounter similar confusion.
Drivers Urged To Review Toll Notices Carefully
In the meantime, Pennsylvania drivers are being urged to carefully review any Toll By Plate statements they receive and contact the Turnpike Commission if something doesn’t add up.
On top of that, it would be wise for any organization using ALPRs to double and triple-check alerts to be sure that the car and plate in question are actually what the software says they are. Failing to do so could lead to serious consequences.
For example, a couple with toddlers in their car were pulled over and held at gunpoint in Arkansas recently because police received an alert that the plate on the vehicle was stolen.
Officers didn’t confirm that the plate was the same as the one the ALPR cameras saw. It turned out to be the wrong plate. Hopefully, nothing as serious, or potentially more serious, happens in Pennsylvania as a result of this new plate.