![]() And despite the requirement to hinder falsification, the scope document did list that point only in the second place. ![]() Faked FE-Schrift letters (e.g., "P" to "R") appear conspicuously disproportionate.Īnother motivation for the new typeface came from a spike in the theft rate of license plates in the early 1970s. Whilst the DIN typeface was using a proportional font, the FE-Schrift is a monospaced font (with different spacing for letters and numbers) for improved machine readability. For example, the initial slashed zero ( ∅ ) could be mistaken for an 8, so Hoefer replaced it by a design with a reduced white slash in the upper right corner. The typeface was slightly modified according to the results of tests that lasted from 1978 to 1980 at the University of Giessen (Department of Physiology and Cybernetic Psychology). The original design for the FE-Schrift typeface was created by Karlgeorg Hoefer who was working for the Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen (Federal Highway Institute of Germany) at the time. Modifications to FE-font plates are somewhat more difficult, as they also require the use of white paint, which is easily distinguished at a distance from the retroreflective white background of the plate, in particular at night. For example, it was easy to change a "P" to an "R" or "B", a "3" to an "8", or an "L" or "F" to an "E". The motivation for the creation of the typeface arose in the late 1970s in the light of terrorism by the Red Army Faction when it was discovered that with the then-standard font for vehicle registration plates-the DIN 1451 font-it was particularly easy to modify letters by applying a small amount of black paint or tape. Other countries have later introduced the same or a derived typeface for license plates taking advantage of the proven design for the FE-Schrift. Schrift means ' font' in German (cognate with the English word script). ![]() The abbreviation "FE" is derived from the compound German adjective fälschungs erschwerend combining the noun Fälschung" ('falsification') and the verb erschweren ('to hinder'). It has been developed in Germany where it has been mandatory since November 2000. Its monospaced letters and numbers are slightly disproportionate to prevent easy modification and to improve machine readability. The FE-Schrift or Fälschungserschwerende Schrift ('forgery-impeding typeface') is a sans serif typeface introduced for use on licence plates. The correct appearance of the series "R3E" is shown in the bottom row. The series "PBF" (top row) is modified to read "R3E" (middle row, in red). A demonstration of attempted alteration of characters set in the FE-Schrift typeface. ![]()
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