‘Blank’ number plate leads to $40,000 in fines for New York woman

A New York woman has received about $40,000 in traffic fines for offences she says she did not commit, after her personalised number plate appears to have been mistaken for a blank entry on ticket forms, according to The New York Times.

Carole Blank Brown, 70, was fined this year for offences including illegal parking and driving without a number plate. The newspaper reported that the tickets did not identify the vehicles involved. Brown’s plate reads “Blank”, which is also the English word for an empty space.

When she sought help, Brown found 400 outstanding tickets. She had to appear before four judges over two days to clear her name, and continued receiving fines even after she supplied her registration number. The local government was unable to resolve the problem for her.

The newspaper later contacted officials and was told the issue had been fixed. It remained unclear how the mistaken fines began.