How Drivers Are Outsmarting ANPR With Ghost Plates

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A surge in motorists using so-called ‘ghost plates’ is undermining traffic enforcement and costing cities millions in lost fines. These illegal number plates, often called 3D or 4D plates, use reflective materials or clever designs to make vehicles invisible to speed cameras and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems, allowing drivers to evade detection for speeding, bus lane violations, and low-emission zone charges.

Authorities in the UK and the US are responding to this growing threat with new enforcement measures and advanced camera technology, as experts warn that around one in fifteen drivers may already be exploiting these loopholes. Professor Fraser Sampson, former Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner, highlighted the ease with which these tactics defeat current systems, stating, “For all its technological advancement and operational indispensability, the ANPR system still relies ultimately on a piece of plastic affixed to either end of a vehicle.

Served by a wholly unregulated market, what my predecessor termed the humble number plate represents a single and readily assailable point of failure with the ANPR network being easily defeated by the manufacture and sale of stealth plates, cloned registration marks and other rudimentary obscurant tactics.”

In Wolverhampton, local authorities have equipped wardens with cutting-edge cameras designed to spot ghost plates, setting an example for other regions facing similar challenges. Drivers caught using these plates currently face a £100 fine, but lawmakers are pushing for much tougher penalties; a new bill before Parliament proposes raising fines to £1,000 and adding penalty points to offenders’ licenses, reflecting the seriousness of the offence and the ease with which ghost plates can be bought online for as little as £30.

The problem is not limited to the UK. In New York City, officials estimate that the use of ghost plates and other evasion tactics is depriving the city of more than $100 million annually, with some reports suggesting the figure could be as high as $200 million. Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine has called for harsher penalties and stricter enforcement, noting that more than 5% of vehicles passing through city cameras now have unreadable plates.

“This is first and foremost, a safety concern, because the people who are covering their plates or using fake plates know very well that they can pass through a red light or speed past a school with impunity,” Levine said. “But also, it’s a fairness issue because most of us who are paying tolls, we don’t get a break.”

Despite advances in camera technology, the ANPR system’s accuracy remains at about 97%, leading to millions of incorrect readings and wrongful fines for innocent drivers each day. Professor Sampson warned that the system’s vulnerabilities are likely to be exploited further as reliance on automated enforcement increases, noting, “The result is that the ability to frustrate the ANPR system remains staggeringly simple at a time when proper reliance on it for key public services such as policing, law enforcement and traffic management is increasing daily. Emission zones and other strategic traffic enforcement schemes put motorists in situations where they have to make significant financial choices and it is at least arguable that the incentives for some to ‘game’ the ANPR systems have never been greater.”

Simple methods such as applying reflective tape or purchasing stealth plates online are now widespread and easily accessible, prompting fears that the trend will accelerate.

“Merely by applying reflective tape to distort part of a registration plate or purchasing stealth plates from online vendors, motorists can confuse and confound current number plate recognition technology and both of these are easily obtainable. One recent estimate suggested that one in fifteen drivers may already be using anti-ANPR technology; it is reasonable to expect this conduct to increase as the reliance on ANPR for new traffic management schemes continues,” Sampson wrote in his letter to the Transport Secretary.

As cities and lawmakers intensify their crackdown, the battle over ghost plates is shaping up to be a major front in the fight to keep roads safe and ensure that everyone pays their fair share for using public infrastructure.