More than 18,000 vehicles are being used in the UK without proper records of where their owners live, according to a freedom of information request to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). The data shows 18,260 vehicles are registered to the DVLA's own address, meaning the owner's location is unknown.
Labour MP Sarah Coombes has called on the DVLA to take urgent action, describing the issue as an increasing problem of 'ghost owners' who cannot be held accountable for their driving. She is expected to speak in a Commons debate on the DVLA on Thursday.
The British Parking Association, which submitted the FOI request, argues the real problem is likely much greater. Its members found that between 10% and 20% of requests to the DVLA for ownership data yield no results, partly due to vehicles registered without an address and cloned plates.
Coombes has called for a crackdown on number plate suppliers, of which there are more than 34,000 registered with the DVLA for a single £40 payment and no background checks. Last year, an investigation found over 130 suppliers willing to sell cloned plates.
Coombes said: 'Failing DVLA systems are allowing dangerous driving and criminality to flourish unchecked on our roads. We are also seeing an epidemic of ghost owners, where a vehicle has no registered keeper, which means speeding, hit and runs and worse are going completely unpunished.'
A Department for Transport spokesperson said the government's road safety strategy takes direct action to crack down on illegal plates, including proposals for tougher penalties and stricter MOT checks.
