Why do British licence plates use both O and 0?

[edwin_m]

What is your evidence that there is a substantial problem caused by UK residents not understanding the UK registration number scheme and therefore entering details incorrectly online, especially where the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) apply edit checks to prevent invalid registration numbers being accepted by their online systems?

It's been stated that there are no plates where substituting I for 1 or O for 0 or vice versa would create ambiguity, so it would be easy enough for the software to correct any errors of this type automatically.

 

[SteveM70]

I'm sorry as well, if you can't read the number on your own plate then you've got a serious eyesight problem as well as a serious lack of understanding

letter letter number number letter letter letter

what's the problem understanding that?

You’re conflating two different things there. But no, I can’t believe it’s a significant issue

 

[skyhigh]

People enter their vehicle registrations wrongly because they can't tell the difference between 0 and O on their licence plate!

I'd suggest that the vast majority of people know if their registration had a 0 or an O in it. I can remember the full registration of every car I've owned. I've never heard anyone outside of this forum suggest it's an issue. How many people will even go and look at their registration on the front of their car before entering it into a system?

You said in your original post in this thread:

As a result, people frequently enter their licence plates wrong into computer systems (for example, when renewing road tax).

That example is rubbish for a start. When renewing tax, you need to provide both the registration and a document reference number. If the registration is wrong it won't proceed. It's as simple as that. Obviously people will make mistakes when entering number plates into parking systems etc, but those errors would still happen regardless of if 0 and Os weren't used (as I can tell you from experience, when I got a parking pass issued with the last 2 letters transposed!).

I really don't think this is a major issue.

 

[nlogax]

As a result, people frequently enter their licence plates wrong into computer systems (for example, when renewing road tax). Why does the authority use such letters when they can be easily avoided?

Do they? How many people are we talking about here? How do you know?

 

[87 027]

Maybe we should invent some new letters just for number plates. I highly recommend those in the book On Beyond Zebra! by Dr. Seuss

On Beyond Zebra! - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

On Beyond Zebra! is a 1955 illustrated children's book by Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. In this take on the genre of alphabet book, Seuss presents, instead of the twenty-six letters of the conventional English alphabet, twenty additional letters that purportedly follow them

 

[mirodo]

In similar vein - presumably owned by a Shakespearian Actor?

View attachment 99270

[Image - my own - shows a Bentley with the registration '2 BE' (or not to be!). 10/10/2009]

There is a couple - a theatre owner and her husband, who live in Chelsea, who have 2B and NOT 2B

Is this the best number plate combination ever? That is the question

A couple from London have channelled the words of William Shakespeare with their inspired registration plate choice

www.mirror.co.uk

 

[bb21]

Do they? How many people are we talking about here? How do you know?

There isn't a problem unless you go looking for it.

I think the question has been answered in the thread.