COLUMBIA - Even though police in the state's largest cities keep asking S.C. lawmakers to let them use cameras to catch people running red lights, opponents on Thursday managed for the second-straight year to block legislation giving local governments that option.

"It's a libertarian thing; this happens every time, the same people," said a disappointed Sen. Scott Richardson, R-Beaufort, after the Senate Transportation Committee refused, by a 5-4 vote, to send his bill to the Senate floor.

Under the bill, it would be local government's choice to install the cameras, which would have to capture images of both the light and the vehicle's license plate. The fine could be no more than $100, and the violation wouldn't be reported to the driver's insurance company.

Charlotte has 20 red light cameras at intersections with a history of serious wrecks. Signs tell drivers the cameras are there. Since the N.C. legislature allowed the city in 1998 to install the cameras, Charlotte officials say, crashes on the monitored streets have dropped 57 percent.

Richardson's bill made it out of committee a year ago, but languished on the Senate floor without ever being voted on. This year, the bill failed to make it even that far, as opponents raised hypothetical questions from all angles.

Sen. Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, asked about somebody who pulls into an intersection to make a left turn and who must wait for oncoming traffic to clear. What if the light turns red while she's waiting?

Richardson explained that the camera's trip mechanism acts at the beginning of the intersection, not the middle. He said, "It wouldn't take your picture."

Leatherman persisted. "But what if you've got a vehicle following that vehicle?" he said. "It could trip that thing."

Sen. David Hawkins, R-Spartanburg, then questioned a section of the bill that said cameras could be used only to record noncriminal violations. "How about if it spots a drunk driver?"

Richardson replied that the cameras wouldn't be able to determine blood alcohol levels.

Sen. Linda Short, D-Chester, said she has some small towns in her district that are well-known speed traps. "Could it be possible," she asked, "for one of those towns to purchase one of these cameras and put it in an unlikely place for a light to be?"

Sen. Ray Cleary, R-Georgetown, a supporter of the bill, expressed frustration at the stream of hypotheticals. "What if the sky is orange and there's snow coming down?" he said. "This is just a red light issue."