New York’s City Council published a new report, “Plate and Switch,” in August, which found that vehicles with “ghost plates” are most prevalent in the Bronx and accrue more fines and serious traffic violations than other cars. A two-month investigation researched the top 10 police precincts that issued summonses to drivers and found that out of the 3,500 vehicles that received violations in that period, 768 had out-of-state plates. Nearly one in five had license plates that were not registered to the vehicles – otherwise known as “ghost plates.”
The Bronx had the highest concentration of ghost vehicle violations (73 of 242), followed by Brooklyn (54 of 193) and Queens (50 of 179). Staten Island, where public transportation is limited and most commuters rely on cars, there were only 12 out of 81 ghost vehicles. Manhattan fared the lowest, with only 1 out of 73 ghost cars.
The investigation showed that the ghost plate issue is not limited to temporary or obscured license plates but also includes the intentional use of out-of-state plates to defy traffic laws and enforcement. Drivers use ghost plates for various reasons, including to avoid getting traffic tickets, paying tolls, being held accountable for crimes, or simply evading enforcement systems altogether.
According to the investigation, vehicles with mismatched or no-hit plates owed an average of $667.48 compared to $268.08 for vehicles with matched plates. Overall, vehicles with ghost plates paid less than 20% of the fines they incurred, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars in fees and fines each year. Even more concerning, the research showed that there are reports of ghost vehicles fleeing crash scenes and being used to commit violent crimes.
The widespread availability of untraceable, unregistered license plates through various channels is an ongoing scourge for city and state officials, as well as law enforcement agencies.
On Aug. 19, the MTA, NYPD and other enforcement agencies announced they had seized more than 5,300 vehicles with fake or altered license plates since their crackdown began on March 11, 2024. So far in 2025, the MTA said there have been 38 enforcement operations, resulting in the recovery of about $11.5 million in unpaid tolls and fees, judgments and debts. MTA Police and Bridge and Tunnel officers issued 16,000 summonses between January and mid-August.
Source: amNY
