You can buy a car, but you can't register it to get a license plate without a driver's license.

The article notes that a lot of the accidents are from people with suspended drivers licenses, not just drivers without a license.

It also says there was a decline in traffic enforcement by the NYPD.

So, I'd say it becomes a public policy decision on how much time do people want NYPD going after cars with no plates or fake plates, and stopping people with revoked licenses from driving? I don't think there's an answer to that, that's going to make everyone happy.