Every driver has seen license plates that obviously have been covered up, altered, marked up or even made of paper in order to thwart speed cameras or those that toll for bridges, tunnels and Manhattan’s congestion pricing zone.

But this past spring, the City Council’s Oversight and Investigation Division took a look at out-of-state “ghost plates” that are not as easy to detect, and often prove impossible to trace back to a vehicle’s owner.

A ghost plate refers to any license plate that obscures the true ownership of a vehicle, including fake or improperly registered plates that may otherwise appear legitimate at a glance. Drivers using them can avoid traffic tickets, tolls, accountability for crimes and evade law enforcement.

“Vehicles without New York State license plates are a common

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