Ghost plates are not supernatural. Drivers are just using high and low tech tools to break the law.

"First and foremost, this is a question of safety because drivers have no accountability for unsafe driving,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine.

Levine said it's getting harder to crack down on toll, red light and speed camera evaders because of license plates obscured with dark covers or reflective stickers. Some are just partially blocked, unreadable, fake or even missing.

"And you better believe a driver who fakes their plate is not going to slow down when they know there is a speed camera in the area,” he said.

A new analysis by Levine's office shows the problem is also costing the city about $200 million a year.

“If I have to pay then you should have to pay,” said Uber driver Eric Best. “That's just the rules."

Ghost plates make it difficult for automated license plate readers to snap a picture of the license plates on vehicles running red lights or speeding, which allows them to avoid paying fines or tolls.

"There's always going to be corners cut and there's always going to be people trying to cut corners,” said driver John Reeves.

City data shows red light and speed cameras are triggered but unable to read a license plate and collect a fine tens of thousands of times a month. In June, that number was about 130,000 compared to 80,000 this past February.

Levine said state officials should crack down on ghost plate tools sold online. He said the state can also adopt digital registration stickers that can ensure license plates match vehicle registration information.

"I don't want to go to jail or get tickets or get in trouble,” Reeves said. “It's a whole mess. Why make your life harder than it has to be."

Some recommendations for the city include:

• Train NYPD traffic enforcement to spot and impound cars on the street with ghost plates.
• Increase fines and penalties for drivers with ghost plates.
• Use artificial intelligence technology to identify partially obstructed plates.

Levine also suggests that the state give the city the power to create residential parking permit programs to crack down on illegal vehicle registration and create vehicle data sharing agreements with more neighboring states.

In a statement responding to the borough president's analysis, a spokesperson for Gov. Kahty Hochul's office said:

"Governor Hochul launched the largest-ever interagency task force to crack down on ghost plates and toll evasion, in partnership with Mayor Adams and law enforcement agencies from the City and State, and successfully passed tough laws to combat toll evasion as part of this year's budget. In just five months, the Governor's efforts have led to hundreds of arrests and more than 1,500 vehicles being impounded and she will continue working with Mayor Adams and colleagues throughout government to make progress on this critical issue."