A new study reveals that New York City is hemorrhaging $200 million annually due to drivers using “ghost” license plates. These scofflaws are evading tolls and fines by making their plates unreadable to cameras.

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, who spearheaded the analysis, says some drivers are using “James Bond-level technology” to hide their plates. Others simply scratch out numbers or use fake tags.

The problem has exploded since New York increased its use of traffic cameras. Now, over 5% of vehicles caught on camera have unreadable plates. These ghost plates allow drivers to speed through school zones and run red lights without consequences.

Beyond lost revenue, the issue raises safety concerns. Tashi Tsering, a local parent, worries about hit-and-run drivers using ghost plates to escape identification. “The cameras alone are not doing the job,” he said.

Levine proposes several solutions, including radio tags for registration stickers and AI tools to match obscured plates to registered vehicles. He also suggests increasing fines and cracking down on online sales of plate-hiding devices.

City officials are taking action. A recent NYPD and MTA operation caught 200 offenders, including a career criminal with a loaded gun.

As New York grapples with this high-tech problem, officials must balance effective enforcement with concerns about privacy and government overreach.