Illegal number plates are out of control, as parliament asks motorists for help

Drivers have been called upon to submit their own evidence and opinions as a new cross-party committee aims to end the scourge of illegal, cloned and ghost number plates following their proliferation in the past few years.

Conducted by The All Party Parliamentary Group for Transport Safety (APPGTS), the consultation will analyse and evaluate the UK’s current number plate system in order to gather a picture of how it’s being manipulated by criminals.

Speaking exclusively to Auto Express, APPG member and Labour MP Sarah Coombes said: “Ending the number plate wild west is absolutely crucial if we're to keep people safe on our roads. In such a technologically advanced world, it seems genuinely inconceivable that we’re still relying on a piece of plastic to identify vehicles. Imagine what this means if someone drives away from a hit-and-run and is using an untraceable number plate?”

The APPG is asking motorsists, as well as the automotive industry, what they think has led to the proliferation of illegal number plates in the UK, what impact this is having and what they think should be done about it.

Last year, the police recorded 21,000 offences relating to the use of so-called ‘ghost’ number plates – a modified registration plate that uses specialised films or coatings in order to evade capture by speed and traffic cameras. Estimates from the National Police Chiefs Council also suggest that there could be as many as 20,000 cloned cars (illegally using the registration and details of another) on our streets.

All information provided in the consultation will help inform the Government’s forthcoming Road Safety Strategy. Coombes was keen to point out, “There are so many brilliant experts working on this issue and they’ve come up with lots of ideas, such as increasing the penalty if you’re caught with a plate and ensuring that the criteria for becoming a supplier is tightened. 

“Right now, you pay a one-off fee of £40 to the DVLA to become a supplier,” Coombes continued. “If we made sure suppliers had to pay a fee annually subject to fulfilling stricter conditions, that would ensure only legitimate suppliers can sell number plates. Banning 3D and 4D plates [number plates with raised characters] would also help ensure there’s less deviation allowed on number plates.”

The consultation closes at 23:59 on 24 October, with the Government’s full road safety strategy set to be published later this year.

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