What Are Ghost Cars?
Ghost cars are vehicles with illegal, fake license plates that have become a rapid issue in New York City over the last few months.
The NYPD and Sheriff’s Office will tow and potentially auction off cars with fraudulent license plates.
Using an illegal, paper, license plate has become a huge and demanding issue on the streets of New York City because they allow for cars to become untraceable and are commonly used to avoid parking rules and regulations, red-light cameras, tolls, or as getaway cars for crimes.
As Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks stated “It is a clear indication that a person is not willing to operate within the most basic legal framework of society. Ghost cars and the reckless behaviors of their owners are a threat to every New Yorker on the road.”
Mayor Eric Adams, the NYPD, and the DOT have been working diligently on creating a safer environment on the roads for New Yorkers.
Vision Zero has become a huge project implemented to create safe roads, from more speeding cameras to open (carless) streets, the city is advocating for change, while ghost cars are setting this back.
As Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell stated that ensuring authentic license plates remains a “viable tool in our collective efforts to ensure safe streets.”
How Do Ghost Cars Affect Public Safety?
The exponential increase in the number of inauthentic license plates surged at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic when the DMVs that were shut down extended expiration dates for many temporary license plates.
Ghost cars are classified as a public-safety threat according to Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell and the statistics have shown just that.
Up to July 3, 2022, the NYPD issued 16,448 tickets to drivers using fraudulent or obstructed license plates, towed 1,700 vehicles, and seized 2,478 vehicles.
Arrests of those in possession of a vehicle with fraudulent license plates rose to 3,568 in 2021, which shows a 300% increase in comparison to the 893 arrests for the same crime back in 2016.
Additionally, on June 25, 2022, a stolen Honda that had an incorrect and expired South Carolina license plate evaded a car stop in Brooklyn, striking several people and fatally injuring a 67-year old Grandmother, and critically injuring an 8-year-old boy.
How Authorities Are Addressing Ghost Cars
Sheriff Anthony Miranda stated that there has been a “robust ghost car enforcement initiative” under Mayor Eric Adams that addresses multiple public safety concerns.
When collaborating with different partners in the law force, Sheriff Anthony Miranda, stated that they seized 800 vehicles most containing fraudulent license plates from various states. In addition, five firearms, narcotics, fake identification, and multiple fake license plates were found within these vehicles.
Additionally, throughout June, the NYPD and traffic enforcement have a 33% increase in issuing parking summonses to vehicles with covered license plates than the previous year.
The NYPD is directing its focus on the work of patrol officers in all 77 precincts in New York City.
The 2022 Vehicle License Plates Working Group is an “intelligence-driven effort” that utilizes the coordinated work of the NYPD’s patrol services, legal, and transportation bureaus as well as the detective’s bureau Auto Crime Unit for investigations as well as the expertise of the city and state agencies such as the Sheriff’s Office. The goal of the group is to create a safe roadway environment by wrestling with the issue of fraudulent and obscured license plates and vehicles.
“The safety of all New Yorkers is our top priority and traffic safety is public safety” stated NYPD Chief of Transportation Kim Y. Royster.
Although ghost cars and fake and obscured license plate is another issue to tackle before the safety of New Yorkers on the road is significantly improved, the city is implementing immense measures to create change.
