West Brom MP: 'Tackling illegal number plates will make our roads safer'
Sarah Coombes MP wants tougher punishments for people with illegal number plates
The MP for West Bromwich wants tougher punishments for people driving around with illegal number plates in the UK.
Sarah Coombes MP is delivering a letter to the government today, on behalf of bodies like the RAC (03rd June).
What is a 'ghost number plate'?
The West Bromwich MP will hold an event in parliament today to discuss the dangers of 'ghost number plates'.
These number plates reflect light back, preventing the registration number from being clearly seen by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras.
Why are illegal number plates a problem in West Bromwich?
Sarah Coombes MP told us why she is heading the campaign:
"Every year in the West Midlands, 1000 people are killed or seriously injured on our roads. In West Bromwich, we also have a terrible car racing problem.
"These number plates are enabling people to race around our roads and jump red lights and not get caught," she explained.
Why are illegal number plates dangerous?
She told us how criminals use illegal number plates to get away with crime: "Police use cameras on our roads to catch criminals.
"If the criminals are using a number plate that cannot be seen, then it is a really bad problem for us all. We have got to do something to crack down on this," she said.
What industry bodies are supporting the campaign?
The British Number Plate Manufacturers Association, who produce over 95% of the UK's 41 million vehicles, is backing the campaign.
So are leading motorist organisation, the RAC.
The letter reads: "While punishing drivers who commit number plate offences is critical, the real problem lies with the rogue suppliers who are flooding the market with illegal plates.
"With little oversight or enforcement, they’ve turned the number plate system into a free-for-all."
"There is no good reason to have a ghost plate on your car"
Sarah Coombes MP's national campaign calls for an increase of a £100 fine for using a non-compliant plate to at least £1000 and six penalty points.
"There is no good reason to have a ghost plate on your car. We also need to crack down on the tens of thousands of companies online selling these number plates without any checks at all," she said.
The event will be held in parliament between 9am and 11am today (03rd June).