Red light cameras: Are they a safety tool or money making machine?

Some state lawmakers say a proposal to stop red-light runners with cameras, is really a way for cities to cash in. And they have a few examples to back their claim. San Diego's collected $30 million in camera tickets over the course of 18-months. And Washington D.C. racked in $5 million last year. Now the issue is being debated locally.

The bill going through the state legislature looks to give Winnebago County the green light to use cameras to ticket drivers running red lights. It was created by local State Representative Chuck Jefferson and supported by Rockford city leaders. They say accident data from 2001 to 2005 proves it's strictly a safety issue.

"We had nearly 1,400 accidents at red lights and the vast majority of those are right angle crashes and any expert will tell you those are the worst kind of accidents," says City Legal Director, Patrick Hayes.

But a University of South Florida study shows these red-light cameras lead to more rear-end collisions from motorists hitting the brakes to avoid a ticket.

"If our goal is to make a safer driving public, then let's address those issues whether it's an intersection with longer lights, or ultimately address the people that somehow are getting behind the wheel, but should not be driving," says State Senator Dave Syverson.

Just to install and operate red-light cameras could cost the city millions. "We're hopeful the revenue would pay for the technology," Hayes says. "In other places where this has been in place the longest, the long haul shows the revenue starts out high but tails off very quickly."

Which can sometimes spark a moral dilemma. "Other communities around Illinois, and around the country have been caught shortening up the yellow light in an effort to give out more tickets," Syverson describes. "If this plan was to move forward, I think there needs to be some safeguards built into it so that the public is protected."

There are 28 cities in Illinois that already use these cameras, and some of them report 40 to 70 percent fewer accidents at stoplight intersections. So far, a house committee unanimously agreed to using them.