My plate:



I guess I'm safe...

At Sunpass, people physically read the license plates from cars that didn't pay from video. However, they routinely make mistakes, most frequently mixing up the letter B and the number 8, the letters O and Q and the letter S and number 2.

...

The DMV told Eyewitness News they are considering dropping Q and zero from license plates because of the mix-ups.

Because the alternative - hiring people who know how to read - is just totally out of the question for the DMV and Sunpass, apparently.

maybe just drop Q or Zero... not both. Even better would be to eliminate toll roads altogether. I hate toll roads.

Kome: At Sunpass, people physically read the license plates from cars that didn't pay from video. However, they routinely make mistakes, most frequently mixing up the letter B and the number 8, the letters O and Q and the letter S and number 2.

...

The DMV told Eyewitness News they are considering dropping Q and zero from license plates because of the mix-ups.

Because the alternative - hiring people who know how to read - is just totally out of the question for the DMV and Sunpass, apparently.

THIS. Came here to say that.

most frequently mixing up the letter B and the number 8, the letters O and Q and the letter S and number 2.

How the hell do you confuse an S with a 2?

They just can't do anything right in Flori-duh.

You could

1) Hire people able to read
2) Change the font on the license plates to be more readable for the cameras/cops
3) Why is #1 so hard?

Seems like the logical solution is just to train people on how to rectify the situation when it happens and how to note this in a person's account. You can't undo people's license plates, so Q and 0 will still be out there, not to mention present in other states where they have no control whatsoever. Why on earth would the DMV bow to Sunpass' incompetence?

If I were a reporter, I'd just point these things out and go find some actual news to report. It's just too bad I'm so logical and reasoned, and therefore am a programmer.

Kome: At Sunpass, people physically read the license plates from cars that didn't pay from video. However, they routinely make mistakes, most frequently mixing up the letter B and the number 8, the letters O and Q and the letter S and number 2.

...

The DMV told Eyewitness News they are considering dropping Q and zero from license plates because of the mix-ups.

Because the alternative - hiring people who know how to read - is just totally out of the question for the DMV and Sunpass, apparently.

remember this is florida, land of the uber-cheap government .... hiring people who can read would be too expensive for the DMV. they're lucky if they can hire people who have teeth and bathe daily.

Uh, would it kill them to note the make and model of the car, then? Or even just the color? That much alone would do a pretty good job of weeding out misunderstandings...

Ha ha. My license plate has a zero with a slash through it (ham radio plate). Two cops now have been confused by how to enter it. Hopefully it screws up automated readers, too.

skinink: For the DMV Farker that might not be able to understand the article, I've made it readable for you:
"When yqu pa22 thrqugh a tqll and dqn't pay, a camera take2 a picture qf yqur licen2e plate. Lynch and the tqll viqlatqr have almq2t identical plate2. 2unpa22 tqld him an emplqyee mi2read the Q qn the viqlatqr'2 plate a2 a zerq and that'2 why he gqt the warning letter."

I bow before you.

So, we need to get rid of 5,S,B, and 8 too?

ExJerseyGirl: most frequently mixing up the letter B and the number 8, the letters O and Q and the letter S and number 2.

How the hell do you confuse an S with a 2?

This.

Years ago I had the misfortune to live in Maryland. After I'd been there nearly a year, I got a nasty note from the DMV explaining that according to their records I didn't have insurance on my cars and threatening to fine me. This surprised me. Turns out that VINs can't have "I"s or "O"s in them, but the dipshiat DMV employee that registered my car happily rendered the "1"s and "0"s as "I"s and "O"s, and their retard computer system hadn't been set up to watch out for that. So my registered VIN didn't match the one on the insurance card.

It was painful explaining to them that since this wasn't my problem, I wasn't going to be wasting my time driving to the DMV to take care of it. Eventually after being transfered to various levels of supervisors, they got the message and sent me the appropriate paperwork. Bastards.

Anybody that mistakes a 2 for an S is an Ass. Now a 5 and an S maybe.

Wheres that guy from Alliance,Ohio that has the tag that reads--
UFIA

I shait you not,He really does.

Fix the font if necessary and fire the dumbasses.

It's amazing how the human race apparently can't solve the simplest of problems sometimes.

If I had photoshop I'd make a Florida license plate with the letters FAIL. I think that would be fitting for this thread.

Recently received dunning letter from the Illinois Tollroad Authority telling me I owed them around $85 for missing 3 tolls. Had a nice little photo of a license plate clearly ending 373. Unfortunately, my plate ends 313. Luckily, they're located about 1.5 miles from my office, but I still had to wait in a line for awhile. Clerk looked at my account and looked at the photo, then said "Wait a minute" and walked off to talk to someone. She came back and said it was a mistake and would be taken care of in a week. I asked for something in writing stating it was an error and my name would be cleared. She said, "I can't do that, because it would have to be reviewed by (some committee, whose name I forget). But, don't worry it would cleared up in a week." Next month, I'll probably get another letter about my toll violations on plate 373, with more penalties and interest.

I love you Florida; I love to find your wimmin in the bars and they believe me when I say that I'm a Rocket-Scientist-Porn-Star-Doctor-Football-Player...
/It's like having an IQ of less than 70 makes you heavier in Medal and Florida is a huge magnet...

Massachusetts has plates with the same number in different categories -- commercial, passenger, etc. This is also causing some bad tickets.

These photo enforcement schemes don't make enough money if people pay close attention and verify plate number, make and model, etc. Some places promise police review, then literally give the ticket processing company a rubber stamp with a police officer's signature because the police can't be bothered.

Not that it's much defense, but the video screens they're using are probably pretty shiatty and the images probably suck since the vehicles are moving. If your job is to read seven alphanumeric digits each 3.6 seconds for eight hours a day, it's kind of reasonable you'll make a mistake every so often.

I think the more amazing stat here is that that many people run the tolls.

Inbredpoet: I love you Florida; I love to find your wimmin in the bars and they believe me when I say that I'm a Rocket-Scientist-Porn-Star-Doctor-Football-Player...
/It's like having an IQ of less than 70 makes you heavier in Medal and Florida is a huge magnet...

Considering your spelling you must be a LONG time Florida resident.

Prank Call of Cthulhu: Years ago I had the misfortune to live in Maryland. After I'd been there nearly a year, I got a nasty note from the DMV explaining that according to their records I didn't have insurance on my cars and threatening to fine me. This surprised me. Turns out that VINs can't have "I"s or "O"s in them, but the dipshiat DMV employee that registered my car happily rendered the "1"s and "0"s as "I"s and "O"s, and their retard computer system hadn't been set up to watch out for that. So my registered VIN didn't match the one on the insurance card.

It was painful explaining to them that since this wasn't my problem, I wasn't going to be wasting my time driving to the DMV to take care of it. Eventually after being transfered to various levels of supervisors, they got the message and sent me the appropriate paperwork. Bastards.

that's funny because Maryland "suspended " my lic..................I've NEVER lived there LOL
I live in Washington st over 3,ooo miles away
when I tried to fix it they told me the only way to fix it was to go there and tell a judge that . they didn't care what my lawyer or a federal judge said so every time I get my license renewed I have to bring a letter from the federal judge

Creoena: You could

2) Change the font on the license plates to be more readable for the cameras/cops

It's been done: FE-Schrift

same thing happened to me here in oklahoma. They have a similar system set up and the toll violator had a pickup similar to mine. However the trailer hitch was obscuring the fourth letter on the tag (oklahoma has three numbers/three letters or the visa versa is three letters/numbers)however their program they use pulled up all vehicles with similar tags and the guy who ran it had a 1992 GMC ext cab pickup whereas mine was a 1988 Chevy silverado ext. cab. I called and fortunately for me the lady who answered the phone knew her trucks.
"Hell, anyone can tell that's not a chevy silverado" (her exact words)

Torc: Not that it's much defense, but the video screens they're using are probably pretty shiatty and the images probably suck since the vehicles are moving. If your job is to read seven alphanumeric digits each 3.6 seconds for eight hours a day, it's kind of reasonable you'll make a mistake every so often.

I think the more amazing stat here is that that many people run the tolls.

This is the real problem.

"Sunpass told Lynch employees read 1,000 plates an hour. That's one every 3.6 seconds. The DMV told Eyewitness News they are considering dropping Q and zero from license plates because of the mix-ups."

if they only read plates who run the tool booths, and their employee's read 1000 plates an hour, that is_8000_ cars a day, per employee.
If they have that many people running tollgates, then the plate readers are the _LEAST_ of their problems.

I always wanted to get a license plate like this:



And start running tolls/red lights/etc.

My friend got lucky on a parking ticket once, they mistook an 8 for a B or something. He called to see what his fine was, gave his license number and was told "We don't have any tickets on record for you."

He said "oh, must have paid that one already" and hung up.

80085

CrazylilRikki: ExJerseyGirl: most frequently mixing up the letter B and the number 8, the letters O and Q and the letter S and number 2.

How the hell do you confuse an S with a 2?

Thi2.

ftfy

Farkomatic: So, we need to get rid of 5,S,B, and 8 too?

Not necessarily. We only need to eliminate half of the mistaken characters. Use either 5 or S, and B or 8. If someone enters in 8, the computer can be programmed to reject the character, or better yet, the employees can be trained not to try them. Also use a block letter font set against a yellow background like England.

Creoena
3) Why is #1 so hard?

Kidney stones?

It's interesting that some of you find such satisfaction in believing that this is the result of hiring really stupid people who don't even know the difference between O and Q! Ha! Ha! Morans! O and Q! One has a tail on it. Those workers sure are dumb since they don't know about the tail on the Q.

Sure. It's so satisfying to think that. You can say to yourself, "Hey, at least I know about the tail on the Q." Makes you feel good. Better than before.

Do you really think these workers don't know about the tail on the Q? Do you think they missed school that day and never caught on afterwards?

I think they are looking at low-resolution video images with variable lighting, dirty license plates, and maybe some motion blur. I think the images are sometimes ambiguous.

But if it helps you to get through another day to think that you have a superior mind because of that hard-won Q tail knowledge of yours, then go for it.

I'm still thinking about getting I01IO01O.

/well, TELLING everyone I'll get that, but actually getting I011O01O
//suckers
///callin' me a binary lamer, when I'm pwning 'em in base-4

inkling79: Creoena
3) Why is #1 so hard?

Kidney stones?

i loled

/kidney stones arent funny
//never had them
///dont want to

Kome: Because the alternative - hiring people who know how to read

It's worse than that, in some cases, I think there's no human intervention at all.

I got a ton of toll road fines in the mail a few years back. The problem, there wasn't a toll road within 60 miles of me back then, and all I had been doing was driving to work and back home (20 miles).

During the time listed on many of the infractions, I was either sitting at my desk at work, or was at home sleeping.

Turns out, there was a truck with a plate close to mine, and the automatic system was misreading the plate. I'm guessing that no humans bothered to check it before sending out the fines because I drive a 4 door car, not a truck.

Better, use "NO PLATE":

http://www.snopes.com/autos/law/noplate.asp

or "MISSING", "NOTAG", "NONE", "VOID", "UNKNOWN"

Unfortunately, my state has banned those names.

I used to have "QVUO". The cops had a tough time writing that.

Meanwhile, each fine was higher than the previous one. The first fine was just for what the toll cost (like $1.25), by the time the 8th fine came in the mail, it was for over $100 and had threatning statements that essentially said "pay this in 13 days or your license will be suspended".

Then they give you a number to call (long distance, no 1-800 number at the time) to challenge the fines.

I tried for 4 days before I eventually got through.

/bunch of dumbass money grubbing bastards

lordargent: Kome: Because the alternative - hiring people who know how to read

It's worse than that, in some cases, I think there's no human intervention at all.

I got a ton of toll road fines in the mail a few years back. The problem, there wasn't a toll road within 60 miles of me back then, and all I had been doing was driving to work and back home (20 miles).

During the time listed on many of the infractions, I was either sitting at my desk at work, or was at home sleeping.

Turns out, there was a truck with a plate close to mine, and the automatic system was misreading the plate. I'm guessing that no humans bothered to check it before sending out the fines because I drive a 4 door car, not a truck.

Well, TFA spoke of humans who read the plates off of pictures, so I was referring to that aspect of the stupidity. I think the best solution here is just to abolish tolls. Replace it with a small tax - $15, maybe - on everyone who lives in the areas around those toll roads.

Several years ago there was a guy that had the license plate MR8THST, which was intended to be read as "Mr. 8th Street". His car was repeatedly vandalized and leafletted with hateful and threating notes because people thought it meant MR. ATHEIST.

Looks like the alphabet... just got a little smaller.

Yyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh (new window)

jimmyjackfunk: same thing happened to me here in oklahoma. They have a similar system set up and the toll violator had a pickup similar to mine. However the trailer hitch was obscuring the fourth letter on the tag (oklahoma has three numbers/three letters or the visa versa is three letters/numbers)however their program they use pulled up all vehicles with similar tags and the guy who ran it had a 1992 GMC ext cab pickup whereas mine was a 1988 Chevy silverado ext. cab. I called and fortunately for me the lady who answered the phone knew her trucks.
"Hell, anyone can tell that's not a chevy silverado" (her exact words)

I'm from Oklahoma, and I got a kick out of this reply.

Seriously, I LOL'd.

inkling79: Creoena
3) Why is #1 so hard?

Kidney stones?

See, it's this sort of wit that keeps us on the cutting edge of comedy. Well done.

1. Implement crappy photo ticketing system with lousy OCR
2. Send out tickets without a literate human checking them first
3. Be "reluctant" to verify complaints of innocents who got tickets
4. Profit!!

/toll roads should be done away with
//don't we pay enough taxes already?

I had an EZ-Pass tag fail on me. They took a picture of my license plate, then wrote up a violation letter which eventually got mailed off to me.

EZ_Pass would have corrected it manually, but the operator entered an O (oh) instead of a 0 (zero). When the state took a look at the tiket, they said "Oh, must have been a zero", fixed it, and sent me the ticket.

Took a couple phone calls and letters to resolve, but I ended up getting a replacement tag and had to pay $1.70 which would have been the correct toll for the trip.

Joshie: Uh, would it kill them to note the make and model of the car, then? Or even just the color? That much alone would do a pretty good job of weeding out misunderstandings...

QFT. They wouldn't even have to do this in all cases, just ones where they aren't sure about the license plate.

Another thing they might consider, rather than getting rid of Qs and 0s and 2s and Ss is using a less ambiguous font on their license plates.

Make the tail on Qs longer
Put a cross through 0s to distinguish from O.
Make numbers thinner, thicker, or a different height than letters
Make numbers a different color than letters.