An illegal license plate that disappears on command looks like something out of a James Bond movie. It's what helped the driver of a BMW avoid paying the toll 292 times at the George Washington Bridge and other Port Authority crossings.
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"Basically, it's automated from the inside of the car, so you push a button and it slides down and covers the license plate," said Robin Bramwell-Steward, Port Authority Deputy Director of Toll Operations.
The driver in this case owes the Port Authority $19,767, including nearly $5,200 in tolls and thousands of dollars in outstanding fees.
Bramwell-Steward oversees tolling operations for the Port Authority which is going after cheats in a big way.
"We are using license plate readers, cameras, observations and tracking data by officers and tracking data and patterns," Bramwell-Steward said.
Port Authority Police issued more than 5,800 summonses last year, a 28% increase from the prior year, and the agency recovered more than $25 million from cheats last year, 14% more than the previous year.
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The top 10 violators include a number of trucking companies, including one ordered to pay $201,000. That's money that goes to the upkeep of bridges and tunnels.
"When someone cheats, it impacts how much money we have to put into those facilities and operations," Bramwell-Steward said.
In the case of the BMW, the driver was arrested, and the car was impounded. It's another reason to just pay the toll.
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