Pennsylvania drivers are getting toll bills for trips they never took thanks to a huge license plate design flaw
Published on Mar 08, 2026 at 5:02 PM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Mar 05, 2026 at 8:31 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
People in Pennsylvania are feeling ticked off after receiving toll bills for trips that they never took – and it’s all down to a license plate design flaw.
To commemorate 250 years of the US, Pennsylvania released a Liberty Bell license plate.
It sounds like a nice way to ring in a milestone birthday for the nation, right?
Well, unfortunately toll cameras have misread these plates and it’s proved to be a massive headache for many drivers.
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Here’s how a Liberty Bell license plate led to a toll camera mix-up for Pennsylvania drivers
So what exactly has happened here?
The Pennsylvania Department of Transport redesigned the 0 so that it had a slash running through it.
This was done to differentiate from the letter O, which makes sense right?
And it’s not just the DOT in Pennsylvania who backed this change – the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators advised as best practice for plate readability.
The only problem is that toll cameras are mistaking this for a 8.
As a result, people are getting tickets when they shouldn’t be.
And if there’s one thing that’s worse than getting a driving ticket, it’s getting one for a car that isn’t yours.
Officials have said recalibration and software updates will fix this issue – so the new license plates are here to stay.
Any drivers have been advised to carefully review any Toll By Plate statements they’ve received.
Toll roads can be seriously costly – especially when things go wrong
For better or for worse, toll roads are a feature of our road systems.
If you happen to own one, you can expect a lot of payments to come your way – like this British businessman.
But when things go wrong, the costs will be passed onto the drivers.
Just take a look at what happened to this residents of this Texas neighborhood who didn’t realize they were commuting on a toll road.
And let us not forget the story of the Massachusetts woman who landed in a whole heap of trouble with her Simpsons themed license plate.
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Following stints at LadBible, The Sun, The New York Post, and the Daily Mail, Ben joined the team full-time in February 2025. In his role as Senior Content Writer, his sparkling copy, the ability to sniff out a good story at 100 paces, and a GSOH quickly led to him becoming an integral and invaluable member of the writing staff.
