SPRINGFIELD - If Gov. Rod Blagojevich's plan to use cameras to catch speeders ever becomes a reality, interstate drivers won't necessarily have to worry if their speedometer goes a tick or two over 65 mph.

Blagojevich said Friday at the Illinois State Fair that cameras on the interstate would be gunning for drivers with the heaviest of lead feet. Those going 5 mph over the limit could probably avoid an unwanted photo and the speeding ticket that would follow.

"If you drive 10 miles over the speed limit, no one's going to bother you," Blagojevich said. "If you drive 14 miles over the speed limit, no one's going to bother you."

"But if that camera catches you going better than 15 miles per hour (over the speed limit), that's reckless driving. That's endangering the public," he said.

No cameras will be put on Illinois interstates without legislative approval. A vote on the matter might not come soon, if ever.

The concept has raised the ire of some lawmakers. Some voted in May to reject legislation that would have allowed some towns and counties to put cameras on traffic signals to catch drivers running through red lights.

"It sounds like Big Brother to me," said state Rep. Bill Mitchell, a Forsyth Republican who spoke on the phone from Interstate 72 north, east of Decatur. "I want a human being involved in the process."

An Illinois State Police spokesman said that when troopers are involved, they can pull over anyone going 66 mph or over. Then, the officer has the discretion whether to give a ticket or warning.

"An individual can be stopped for as little as 1 mile over the speed limit," Master Sgt. Brian Ley said.

Cameras already are used to catch speeders in construction zones, and state police are researching how best to use cameras on interstates and where to put them, Ley said.

Blagojevich said the plan could create $50 million a year in fines. With that money, the state could hire hundreds of new state troopers to patrol high-crime areas such as Chicago and East St. Louis, Blagojevich said.

mike.riopell@lee.net|789-0865