Mayor Adams, Amazon Collaborate To Crack Down On “Ghost Cars,” Illicit License Plates In NYC
August 25, 2022
Collaboration Follows Adams Administration’s Continuing Crackdown on Ghost Autos
NEW YORK – New York Town Mayor Eric Adams and Amazon today took a new stage in New York City’s crackdown on “ghost autos,” collaborating to more prohibit and reduce the sale of any products advertised on the e-commerce web site as a “camera blocker” to any person buying these a solution in just New York condition. As aspect of the collaboration, Amazon will proactively research for and limit the sale of smokescreen license plate handles and tinted license plate addresses to prospects with a New York point out deal with. Amazon has also agreed to immediately display electronic notices stating that a supplied product cannot be transported to New York places — just before a single of these solutions can even be included to a customer’s on the net buying cart.
In January 2022, the city enacted Neighborhood Regulation 22 prohibiting the sale of merchandise created to conceal or obscure automobile license plates to New York Metropolis citizens. This neighborhood law builds on a provision of the Condition Auto and Website traffic Regulation, which also prohibits the concealing or obscuring of license plates. Irrespective of Community Law 22, firms have continued to sell these products and solutions to New York City inhabitants who use them to purposefully split the regulation. Amazon’s commitment to restrict the sale of these products complies with Area Legislation 22 and sets an example for other vendors.
“Today, we are sending a apparent and basic information: We will depart no stone unturned to keep New Yorkers harmless on our streets,” reported Mayor Adams. “Ghost vehicles are by structure unsafe and untraceable, so in addition to obtaining and towing them, we’re going to stop them from showing in the initial area. Amazon has been a ready lover in the fight for street security and we thank them for doing work with us to maintain New York City streets safe and sound. We assume all e-commerce platforms and other sellers to stick to their guide, comply with the regulation, and hold these solutions out of New York.”
“We attempt every working day to guarantee a trustworthy expertise for our shoppers,” mentioned Jennifer Cruickshank, director, New York public policy, Amazon. “We are happy to collaborate with Mayor Adams and guidance his attempts to keep tinted and smokescreen license plate addresses from becoming offered in New York.”
Ghost autos — autos bearing illegal and counterfeit license plates — are fueling an epidemic of nearly untraceable cars that hurt and eliminate pedestrians, bicyclists, and New York City’s most susceptible — like seniors, little ones, and other at-risk groups. Obstructed license plates are frequently intended to defraud velocity and pink-light-weight cameras during New York Metropolis — ensuing in upticks in unsafe visitors violations and convincing motorists they can evade accountability.
In the initially 7 months of 2022, the New York Metropolis Law enforcement Department (NYPD) arrested over 2,700 car or truck operators driving with solid license plates. The NYPD has also towed practically 2,000 motor vehicles parked in violation while displaying a included, obstructed, or unlawful paper plate.
Automobiles with fraudulent or obstructed licenses plates towed by the NYPD and the Sheriff’s Office environment are often not redeemed and sent to auction. Around 25 percent of the 5,500 cars with paper plates located to be in violation and towed by the NYPD’s Website traffic Enforcement District previous calendar year ended up deserted by their house owners. By way of June 2022, 562 of the 1,646 towed vehicles with paper plates were similarly not redeemed.
“Whether it is to avoid paying out tolls or an endeavor to evade law enforcement, the sole objective of these products and solutions is to skirt the regulation, and that is unacceptable,” said Deputy Mayor for Community Basic safety Philip Banks III. “Make no mistake — any product or service applied to obscure a license plate poses a basic safety menace. This exertion is an ground breaking, proactive tactic to further secure all of the motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians who share our roads. I commend Amazon for their partnership and thank Mayor Adams for continuing to set New Yorkers’ safety very first.”
“This administration will not allow reckless driving on our streets. That implies we need to make certain there is not a market for unsafe solutions to reach New Yorkers,” claimed Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “We thank Amazon for currently being a inclined associate in supporting us remove license plate covers from their list of solutions and enforce versus potential poor drivers.”
“The NYPD will under no circumstances waver in its mission to make certain that the city’s streets stay safe and sound for all,” stated NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell. “We typically say that visitors protection is public protection, and automobiles that are unsafe and untraceable depict the reverse of public protection. That is why we have been keeping method periods with our partners to conclusion the considerably-ranging community protection hazards that threaten every person who life in, functions in, or visits New York Metropolis. Our efforts to obtain the ideal strategies to road security will go on as New Yorkers demand and are entitled to.”
“We are committed to operating collaboratively with companions to enhance public security,” explained New York Metropolis Sheriff Anthony Miranda. “Plastic covers creates ghost motor vehicles facilitating rushing, passing crimson lights, driving recklessly, and keeping away from tolls. These actions present a distinct hazard to our households, those going for walks, and people driving. Any system that makes or promotes ‘ghost vehicles’ will be completely investigated.”
“We know that the increasing range of motorists who obscure license plates are a threat to public safety, due to the fact DOT’s automatic enforcement cameras can not maintain them accountable when they velocity or operate crimson lights,” reported New York Town Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “We thank Mayor Adams for coming to this modern arrangement with Amazon to quit the sale of this kind of things in our condition. In addition to 24/7 pace cameras, DOT has an bold program to redesign streets and intersections — as we use just about every software at our disposal to prevent website traffic violence.”
“The motorists and operators of these ‘ghost vehicles’ are knowingly evading the regulation, escaping accountability, and contributing to the decline of our city’s street and community security,” explained New York Metropolis Councilmember Kamillah Hanks, chair, Committee on Public Security. “This partnership will support with the enforcement and greatest aims of enacting Area Regulation 22 and will as a result crack down on fraudsters and harmful motorists who put us all at risk.”
“I’m very pleased to have passed Local Law 22 in December, which manufactured offering these merchandise unlawful,” said New York City Councilmember Robert F. Holden. “My employees and I have worked with Amazon. I’m happy to see that Mayor Adams understands how major this challenge is and is getting immediate motion to lower scofflaws and criminals off from their supply of these merchandise, whose only intent is to enable reckless driving and other crimes in New York Metropolis.”
“As New York Metropolis faces a disaster of targeted traffic violence, obscured license plates make our streets a lot more hazardous by enabling unchecked dangerous driving,” said Danny Harris, executive director, Transportation Alternate options. “Our leaders should do every thing in their energy to hold people on our streets safe and sound. That is why we worked so tough this year to implement 24/7 speed security cameras, and we need to have this program to be as effective as achievable. Today’s announcement from Mayor Adams and Amazon is a move towards strengthening this key Vision Zero program and keeping New Yorkers risk-free on our streets.”
“New Yorkers are getting maimed and killed by site visitors violence every single day. That is why Family members for Safe and sound Streets fought so really hard for 24/7 pace protection cameras,” stated Devan Sipher, member, steering committee, People for Secure Streets. “Any solution that helps drivers evade accountability for reckless driving is purposefully creating our streets extra unsafe, primarily for kids and the elderly. Today’s announcement by Mayor Adams and Amazon is a welcome phase towards making sure that pace cameras carry on to keep New Yorkers secure.”
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