Cars Registered Out Of State Cost The City Millions In Revenue, Reports Find

There’s a large number of New York City drivers who register their cars out-of-state, costing the city an estimated $73 million in unpaid parking tickets, $1 million in license plate fees, and more than $93 million in tax revenue, reports Crain’s New York.

Though the state couldn’t verify the number of improperly registered cars on the road, a State Senate report from 2011 found that nearly 25 percent of all accidents in NY involving cars with Pennsylvania license plates occurred in Brooklyn —  suggesting that many of those drivers actually live here, said the business news outlet.

New Yorkers have reason to register their cars elsewhere, with statewide insurance clocking in at the third-most expensive in the nation, averaging $1,182 annually, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

But neighbors hunting the streets for out-of-state plates aren’t as concerned about lost revenue as they are driven to fight for the ultimate New York City battleground: the parking wars.

In 2013, we reported an unusual number of cars with Iowa plates parked around Ditmas Park.

A subsequent investigation by neighbors, news outlets, and the Iowa Department of Transportation was led by a suspicion that the Iowa plates were linked to something more dubious than insurance. “Human trafficking, drugs, you name it,” said Major Paul Steier with Iowa’s Office of Motor Vehicle Enforcement in 2013.

In 2015, the Iowa DOT canceled more than 450 vehicle titles and registrations obtained with false or fictitious information, reports the Gazette.