Did the Pa. Turnpike send you a bill for a car that wasn't yours? New license plates may be to blame
PennDOT says license plate readers at places like the Pennsylvania Turnpike are having trouble distinguishing between a couple of numbers on the state's new plates.
"It's really customary with any agency that uses the LPR technology, not just the tolling industry," Marissa Orbanek, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Turnpike, said.
It stems from a certain feature in the state's new license plate design. Newer plates have a slash through zeros, which could cause them to be confused with the number eight.
"The addition of the slash through the zero was intended to help differentiate between the zero and the letter O, which both the license plate readers (LPR) and the human eye have had difficulty differentiating on past registration plates," a press officer with PennDOT wrote in a statement to KDKA.
"The use of the zero with a slash was also a best practice recommendation by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), which includes representation from jurisdictions, including law enforcement, across North America."
Orbanek said the issue is not having a broad impact on the turnpike's system currently. It and PennDOT say the readers will eventually adapt to the change.
"It just takes continuous exposure to the plate – so like any technology, it takes time to learn," Orbanek said.
The Turnpike says it's doing as much testing as it can on its end, but if you've had a problem, it says to just call the customer service center at 1-877-736-6727.