So Much for Safety

And so, the lie that these cameras were all about "safety" dies:

• In Chicago, blowing a stop light might get you a letter, complete with a $100 fine, thanks to a red-light camera.

  But that might not be the end of your photo-enforcement woes. Aldermen today began discussing using the city's ever-growing legion of red-light cameras to check for vehicle liability insurance.

  The city could net nearly $10 million in fines just by citing non-insured vehicles that also get photo-ticketed for a red-light violation, said Ald. Ed Burke (14th), who brought the idea to the City Council Traffic Committee.

Of course, there's just one minor problem:

• Committee Chairman Tom Allen (38th) said he generally liked the idea but also wondered if it would be hard to collect significant fines from people who perhaps could not afford insurance in the first place.

Good luck with that.