The Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles implemented a license-plate format that frequently causes automatic license-plate readers to misread vehicle tags [1].
This technical failure impacts law enforcement and tolling systems that rely on optical character recognition. When automated systems cannot accurately distinguish between characters, it can lead to incorrect vehicle identification and reporting errors.
In 2018, the DMV transitioned to a design consisting of four letters followed by two numbers [1]. This specific layout allows the letter "O" and the numeral "0" to appear on the same side of the plate [1].
Because these two characters look nearly identical, they create visual similarity that confuses the algorithms used by automatic license-plate readers [1]. The software often struggles to determine if a character is a letter or a number when both appear in the same sequence, a flaw inherent in the optical-character-recognition process [1].
To address these recurring errors, the DMV shifted the configuration again in 2024 [2]. This later adjustment was intended to reduce the confusion surrounding the letter "O" on Colorado plates [2].
Despite the 2024 update, the legacy of the 2018 design continues to affect how ALPR systems process tags across the U.S. [1]. The issue highlights a gap between government graphic design and the technical requirements of the surveillance and tolling technology used by municipalities.
“The letter “O” and the numeral “0” on the same side of the plate, causing automatic license-plate readers (ALPRs) to misread the plates.”
This situation illustrates the friction between administrative design choices and the capabilities of artificial intelligence. When government agencies standardize identifiers without consulting the technical constraints of the software that reads them, it creates systemic failures in law enforcement and infrastructure automation. The 2024 correction suggests a delayed recognition of how critical character distinctness is for modern digital surveillance.
