The American Automobile Association is calling on the Washington, D.C. city council to hold oversight hearings over the city's red light and speed camera program. The concern follows a recent admission by Mayor Williams that the program is needed to balance the budget -- he never mentioned safety.

This move is significant because AAA is normally cozy with cities that use cameras. The AAA Traffic Safety Foundation receives money from insurance companies, which profit from cameras.

"If we fail to resolve their doubt, concerns and uneasiness about the technology, the public ... will lose confidence in the District's law-enforcement efforts," wrote Mr. [Lon] Anderson, the group's director of public and government relations. "Ultimately, it will result in the loss of public support."