Plate flippers and ghost plates cause problems in the US, Aussie plates set new records, and Croatian number plates get washed away in floods.
US states take action on plate flippers
Authorities in several American states and cities have taken steps to outlaw license plate flippers that enable drivers to quickly swap their vehicle number plates. Flippers may be either remotely controlled mechanical devices or simple hinged or pivoting frames that are flipped manually. Whichever variant is used, the principle is the same: the vehicle's number plate may be quickly swapped with an alternative plate mounted on the other side of the pivoting panel.
Flippers are sold for quickly and conveniently changing license plates between road-legal plates and custom plates used at car shows off the public highway. They are, however, widely used to evade traffic tolls and speeding fines, as well as for concealing the identities of cars used in more serious crimes.
State and local legislators in Tennessee and Pennsylvania are taking action against flippers with new legislation that imposes harsh penalties on offenders. In Tennessee, anyone who buys a license plate flipper could face a jail sentence of up to six months and a $500 fine. Those caught manufacturing or selling flippers could face up to 11 months and 29 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
In Pennsylvania, new legislation currently being passed will mean that anyone caught using or selling plate flippers may face a $2,000 penalty.
Texas and Washington banned plate flippers some years ago, and other states and cities are implementing measures to outlaw the devices.
New York state battles the rise of 'ghost plates'
No, it's not an early trick or treat gag, or the title of a new Ghostbusters movie; 'ghost plates' is a term widely used in the USA to refer to cloned, false or disguised license plates.
Ghost plates have become an expensive problem in New York state. The New York State Thruway Authority reported that it had lost $407,000 in revenue due to evasion and an assortment of tricks used by drivers to avoid paying tolls. The avoidance measures drivers employed ranged from obscuring the plate with an empty Cheetos packet to altering letters and numbers with pieces of electrical tape. The license plate flippers mentioned in the previous story were also highlighted as a common problem.
The Department of Motor Vehicles said that combatting ghost plates and toll evasion over the past six months has resulted in over 450 arrests, 18,500 summonses and more than 2,100 vehicle seizures for unpaid tolls and judgments totalling more than $19 million.
New legislation will raise applicable fines from $100 to as much as $500. Anyone convicted of purposely obscuring their plates will have to surrender whatever cover, device or material was used, and repeat offenders with three or more convictions in a five-year period will face a 90-day suspension of their vehicle registration.
Big ticket Aussie plates break records
Although the most spectacular prices paid for private plates still tend to be in Asia, in places such as the UAE and Hong Kong, Australia has achieved a few pretty impressive sales as well.
Most recently, the single-digit, South Australia number plate 8 sold at auction on 16th September 2024 for $2.3 million AUD (£1.18 million GBP). This sets a new record price for a South Australia number. The previous record was held by the single-digit plate 1, which achieved $593,000 at auction in 2020.
Another Australian state record was set on 25th August 2024, when a Victoria number plate sold at auction for $363,000 AUD (approx. £184,869 GBP). The registration, Victoria plate number 123 456 set a new record for the most expensive, six-digit, Victoria number plate.
The previous record holder for a 6-digit Victoria plate was 888-888. Perceived as a lucky number, 888-888 changed hands at auction in February for $230,000 AUD (approx. £117,148 GBP).
The overall record for the most expensive Australian number plate ever sold is held by New South Wales number 1, which sold earlier in 2024 for $12.4 million AUD (approx. £6,439,044). At the time of writing, NSW number 1 also holds the distinction of being the sixth most expensive plate ever sold in the world.
Wet weather proves too much for Croatian number plates
Storms and heavy rain brought traffic to a standstill in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik on 9th September. Many roads were completely underwater and traffic backed up throughout the city. A large number of routes were blocked by flood waters or fallen trees and rocks.
One, unforeseen, casualty of the heavy weather was the city's car number plates. In the aftermath of the storm, a substantial number of lost plates were recovered after becoming detached by the stormy conditions and extensive flooding.
