Legislators at the state and local levels in Tennessee and Pennsylvania are taking action against "license plate flippers," devices enabling drivers to hide or disguise their license plates with the simple press of a button, Stateline reports. License plate flippers are used for aesthetic purposes at auto shows, where they allow drivers to switch between custom or decorative plates. Now, thousands of drivers flip or cover their license plates to evade detection — whether by law enforcement, toll systems or automated speed cameras. In Tennessee, a law effective in July bans the purchase, sale, possession of and manufacture of plate flippers. Anyone who purchases a license plate flipper could face up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $500. The Pennsylvania House passed a bill with bipartisan support that would ban license plate flippers and impose a $2,000 penalty on those caught using or selling them.
Obstructing license plates is a common violation, with some drivers using plate flippers, duct tape or bogus paper tags to avoid detection. In March, New York state and city officials launched a multi-agency task force dedicated to identifying and removing so-called “ghost cars” — vehicles untraceable by traffic cameras and toll readers due to their forged or altered license plates — from New York City streets. Most tolling agencies aren’t significantly affected by these violations financially because the majority of drivers comply with the law. New York City's MTA Bridges and Tunnels, one of the busiest U.S. toll agencies, reported a loss of more than $21 million in 2023 due to obstructed plates, a more than 140% increase from 2020, says the agency's Aaron Donovan. The agency projects a slightly lower revenue loss of nearly $19 million for 2024, thanks to the new task force, which has seized over 2,100 vehicles and made more than 450 arrests since mid-March.
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