More than 11,400 drivers last year were fined for offences they did not recognize, as the RAC says the system needs reform. The number of reported "cloned" vehicles involved in offences on UK roads has reached a record high, according to official data.
Record High Complaints
More than 11,400 drivers contacted the DVLA last year after being issued with fines for offences they claimed they did not recognize or accept responsibility for. Most of these cases are believed to be due to cloning, where a number plate is fraudulently copied onto similar vehicles to evade enforcement cameras.
The number of complaints about misattribution was 9% higher than in 2024 and almost double the figure recorded in 2018, according to the RAC, which analyzed data obtained under freedom of information requests. These rising figures underscore concerns about the prevalence of illegal number plates, which allow criminals to evade detection and dangerous drivers to avoid being caught.
Issues with Number Plate Suppliers
Although drivers are required to provide number plate suppliers with the V5C vehicle logbook and proof of identity, an investigation last year uncovered more than 130 official suppliers in the UK willing to sell cloned versions. This enables drivers to dodge police and congestion charges.
Cloning vehicles has left many innocent car owners struggling to prove they were not responsible when enforcement camera images apparently caught their vehicle committing offences. A parallel concern is the use of "ghost" plates, which are designed to be unreadable by the UK’s 18,000 automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras that enforce safety measures such as speed limits or lane closures on smart motorways.
