Classic car owners in Seattle are able to invest in a specific plate, which indicates that their vehicle is exempt from taxes, emissions testing and other fees which are required by law.

This means that people with classic cars can go about their day without being hassled by the police unnecessarily, but now KIRO 7 is reporting that some people are abusing the privileges extended to those who protect motoring history.

To qualify for the plates, the classic cars must be driven only occasionally and cannot be used as regular transport, but news teams caught several ineligible cars on camera, including a 1973 VW Beetle.

Police admit that catching out people who cheat the system can be tough, because defining a classic car is difficult in the first place, as is proving regular usage on the basis of a single sighting.

The state of Washington has about 124,000 special classic car plates registered, but this figure has risen by almost a third over the past five years, as people catch on to the privileges afforded by them.

It seems the authorities will have an ongoing battle against those who are using classic cars as commuter vehicles but claiming that they are restored show cars which rarely hit the roads.