A new study of red light cameras finds that bureaucrats have made exaggerated claims about the safety benefits of the Orwellian intersection monitors. In fact, the research concludes that the cameras actually increase certain types of traffic accidents.

The Chicago Tribune conducted a study of its city’s network of 350 red light cameras, finding that the devices do little good in reducing traffic accidents at intersections. And while the cameras aren’t that great for public safety, the research finds that they do help to pad the city government’s bottom line.

According to the Tribune’s findings, the cameras often cause motorists to unsafely slam on their brakes in a panic to avoid receiving a citation. So while the cameras have decreased right angle car accidents at intersections by about 15 percent, there has been a 22 percent increase in rear-end crashes. Overall, the presence of the cameras could be attributed to a 5 percent increase in accidents.

Worse yet, the Tribune study found, “When intersections experiencing fewer than 4 injury crashes per year are considered, there is a significant increase in all crashes by 19 percent after the installation of RLCs.”

In other words, installing the cameras at intersections where few injury-causing crashes occur actually increases the potential for bodily harm to motorists and pedestrians.

Despite the moot safety merit of the devices, Chicago is looking to expand its largest in the nation collection of red light cameras. And Chicago Alderman Anthony Beale, chairman of the council Transportation Committee, told the Tribune that the plan is related to city finances, not public safety.

“That program needs to be stopped. It needs to be frozen to give us time to re-evaluate everything,” he said. “This is just more proof that this entire program is strictly to generate revenue and always has been.”

People who wish to re-think the traffic cameras are certain to face an uphill battle, considering that the city has raised $500 million in red light camera ticket revenues since 2002.