SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- In the face of heavy opposition from car dealers, lawmakers are battling to give the public the right to see tightly held accident histories of used vehicles so that people will know, literally, what they are getting into, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Consumers now can check the history of a vehicle through the secretary of state, but most purchase the records through companies like Carfax or AutoCheck. But those histories do not include accidents in Illinois and Oregon, the only states that do not allow the public access to accident records. The proposed Used Car Buyers Right-to-Know Act would release police accident records to the public through the Illinois Department of Transportation, where the reports are filed.

The auto dealer industry, which has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to lawmakers over the last five years, is fighting vigorously to keep the status quo. Opponents of the bill question the accuracy of the accident records and its potential to hurt used car prices.

Leading the opposition to the legislation are the Illinois Automobile Dealers Association, which contributed more than $375,000 to lawmakers since 2001, and the Chicago Automobile Trade Association, which gave more than $200,000 to legislators during the same period. The dealers adamantly insist there is no tie between the contributions and opposition to the bill.