

This effort is an innovative, proactive strategy to further protect all of the motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians who share our roads.
License plate reflector license#
“Make no mistake - any product used to obscure a license plate poses a safety threat. “Whether it’s to avoid paying tolls or an attempt to evade law enforcement, the sole purpose of these products is to skirt the law, and that’s unacceptable,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III. Through June 2022, 562 of the 1,646 towed vehicles with paper plates were similarly not redeemed. Approximately 25 percent of the 5,500 vehicles with paper plates found to be in violation and towed by the NYPD’s Traffic Enforcement District last year were abandoned by their owners. Vehicles with fraudulent or obstructed licenses plates towed by the NYPD and the Sheriff’s Office are often not redeemed and sent to auction. The NYPD has also towed nearly 2,000 vehicles parked in violation while displaying a covered, obstructed, or illegal paper plate. In the first seven months of 2022, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) arrested over 2,700 vehicle operators driving with forged license plates.
License plate reflector drivers#
Obstructed license plates are often intended to defraud speed and red-light cameras throughout New York City - resulting in upticks in dangerous traffic violations and convincing drivers they can evade accountability. Ghost vehicles - vehicles bearing illegal and counterfeit license plates - are fueling an epidemic of virtually untraceable cars that harm and kill pedestrians, bicyclists, and New York City’s most vulnerable - including seniors, children, and other at-risk groups. “We are proud to collaborate with Mayor Adams and support his efforts to keep tinted and smokescreen license plate covers from being sold in New York.” “We strive every day to ensure a trustworthy experience for our customers,” said Jennifer Cruickshank, director, New York public policy, Amazon. We expect all e-commerce platforms and other sellers to follow their lead, comply with the law, and keep these products out of New York.”

Amazon has been a willing partner in the battle for street safety and we thank them for working with us to keep New York City streets safe.

“Ghost cars are by design unsafe and untraceable, so in addition to finding and towing them, we’re going to stop them from appearing in the first place. “Today, we are sending a clear and simple message: We will leave no stone unturned to keep New Yorkers safe on our streets,” said Mayor Adams. Amazon’s commitment to restrict the sale of these products complies with Local Law 22 and sets an example for other retailers. Despite Local Law 22, companies have continued to sell these products to New York City residents who use them to purposefully break the law. This local law builds upon a provision of the State Vehicle and Traffic Law, which also prohibits the concealing or obscuring of license plates. In January 2022, the city enacted Local Law 22 prohibiting the sale of products designed to conceal or obscure vehicle license plates to New York City residents. Amazon has also agreed to automatically display electronic notices stating that a given item cannot be shipped to New York locations - before one of these products can even be added to a customer’s online shopping cart. As part of the collaboration, Amazon will proactively search for and restrict the sale of smokescreen license plate covers and tinted license plate covers to customers with a New York state address. NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Amazon today took a new step in New York City’s crackdown on “ghost vehicles,” collaborating to further prohibit and prevent the sale of any product advertised on the e-commerce site as a “camera blocker” to anyone ordering such a product within New York state. Collaboration Follows Adams Administration’s Continuing Crackdown on Ghost Vehicles
