New York City is facing a staggering $200 million annual loss due to a rising epidemic of “ghost” license plates, a new analysis has revealed. This alarming trend, driven by a burgeoning underground market offering high-tech evasion gadgets, is inflicting severe financial and safety costs on the city.
According to Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, the rampant use of ghost plates is allowing rogue drivers to breeze past tolls and evade the watchful eyes of NYPD speed and red-light cameras. These vehicles are now flaunting their unreadable plates 100,000 times a month, directly contributing to a significant revenue shortfall for the city.
Levine, whose office spearheaded the recent study, emphasized the profound impact of these illicit practices. “You better believe it influences behavior when people know their plate is unreadable,” Levine told The Post. This surge in ghost plates includes a variety of methods: vehicles either drive without plates, use tags obscured by tinted or reflective covers, or rely on completely fraudulent plates.
The analysis reveals that over 5% of all vehicles captured by city cameras are now displaying unreadable plates. This problem is not just a financial drain but a serious safety concern, particularly in high-risk areas like school zones and busy intersections.
In response to this growing menace, New York City officials have launched a series of aggressive crackdowns. Last month, a joint operation by the NYPD and MTA apprehended 200 offenders, including a notorious criminal linked to a 2005 murder and found with a loaded weapon.
Ironically, the very proliferation of speed, red-light, and toll cameras designed to enhance public safety has inadvertently fueled the ghost plate epidemic. “It was pretty rare to see fake plates before this,” Levine observed. “Now we’re seeing James Bond-level technology where they push a button to drop down a cover,” he added, referencing a plate-covering gadget available on Facebook Marketplace.
These sophisticated devices, including the “vanish license plate” that can be activated via a key fob, allow drivers to completely obscure their plates with a flick of a button. Reflective plate covers marketed as “toll cheat plate covers” are also widely available, further undermining the city’s enforcement efforts.
The issue extends beyond high-tech solutions. Some offenders use low-tech methods, such as scratching out plate numbers, to avoid detection. Luther Sibuea, an Uber driver and concerned parent, highlighted the dangers posed by these ghost plates, expressing worry that such vehicles could easily evade justice after a traffic violation.
“It’s more than not paying tickets,” Sibuea said. “Drivers with ghost plates could hit people, including kids, and speed off, never to be caught.”
To combat this crisis, Levine has proposed several measures. Among his suggestions are implementing radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on registration stickers that cameras could read to ensure plate registration accuracy. Additionally, he advocates for using artificial intelligence to match obstructed plates with registered vehicles and increasing fines for obstructed or fake plates to a minimum of $150 per offense.
Finally, Levine stresses the need for a serious crackdown on the online market for ghost plates and obscuring devices. “There needs to be a severe crackdown on these fake plates and obscuring devices online,” he said, echoing a sentiment shared by many City Council members who have called on U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to enact stricter reforms.
As New York City grapples with this complex and costly issue, it’s clear that both technological and legislative solutions are necessary to restore order and ensure public safety.
