Overland Park ? Cameras have been set up at key intersections in this Kansas City suburb as part of a study to see if they’re useful in catching people who run red lights.

Red-light running is blamed for killing more than 800 people and injuring more than 200,000 across the country each year. More than 40 cities in about 10 states across the country have started to use the cameras to cut down on the problem.

Traffic engineer Brian Shields, who monitored video images near one of the city’s biggest retail centers recently, said he has hundreds of photos of red-light runners narrowly avoiding accidents near the mall and at another Overland Park intersection.

But he said no traffic tickets or warnings are being issued.

“All we’re doing is collecting data,” Shields said. “So we don’t have a big influence on what’s happening.”

Privacy concerns were raised in the Missouri Legislature last week when a Senate committee killed a bill that would have allowed police across the state to use cameras to nab red-light runners.

A similar bill would be needed in Kansas before any city could use the cameras to issue tickets. For now, there is no apparent effort in the Kansas Legislature to authorize red-light cameras.

So far, Overland Park has gathered the most data from a camera that has been operating since Sept. 10. That location was selected because of the number of crashes that occur there. Through January, the camera had caught 501 drivers running the red light at speeds up to 75 mph.

“All indications from other jurisdictions are that from an engineering and a technical standpoint, it’s a very effective way of reducing this problem,” said Bob Stokes, a Kansas State University civil engineering professor who is studying the cameras for the state.

“But in many areas, that’s more than counterbalanced by the hue and cry from the public.”

Critics say the cameras amount to government spying on citizens. They also contend that the cameras are little more than money machines for governments.

Stokes, however, said research indicates the public generally favors anything that reduces red-light running. When asked specifically if they support cameras, 60 percent to 70 percent are in favor, he said.