How to distinguish between 1 and l in license plates?
2 Answers
Each digit in the sequential number of a motor vehicle license plate can use English letters individually, but among the 26 English letters, O and l cannot be used to avoid confusion with the numbers 0 and 1. Therefore, if you see a license plate number with only l, it is actually the Arabic numeral 1. Related information: 1. Motor vehicle license plate: Refers to the legal sign registered by the statutory authority, permitting the motor vehicle to drive on the roads within the territory of the People's Republic of China. 2. License plate composition: Uses Chinese characters to represent the abbreviations of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government, English letters to represent the issuing authority code, and a sequential number composed of Arabic numerals and English letters.
I often observe license plates when driving, and the number 1 and the letter L look very similar on plates, but there's a little trick: position is key. Chinese license plates are divided into three parts: the left side has the provincial abbreviation letter, the middle is a combination of numbers or letters, and the right side is letters or numbers. The number 1 usually appears in the numeric section, while L is in the alphabetic section. For example, when I park, I can tell it's the letter position just by looking at the left side. Additionally, in terms of font design, the number 1 is a straight vertical line with a small dot at the bottom, whereas the letter L has a straight top and a small hook or curve at the bottom, making it more curved. Once, I misread them and reported the wrong ticket number, but after learning this method, I avoided such mistakes. The anti-confusion design on license plates is very thoughtful, and the DMV standards emphasize this point. Beginners can distinguish them by looking at more examples. Paying attention to such details in daily life helps improve driving recognition skills.
