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| There are over one quarter million police pursuits
annually nationwide. Each year there are over 300 documented
deaths in high speed pursuits; an average of one death per day Overall, 57,000
persons are killed or severely injured annually in the United States alone. One in four
pursuits results in a crash-the majority of high speed drivers are young males-chases have
lasted from one minute to several hours-covered a distance of 100 yards to almost 200
miles. On an annual basis, deaths resulting from high
speed chase incidents exceed deaths related to police discharge of firearms.
Los Angeles alone recorded 7,000 police pursuits; 1,200 injuries to innocent
victims; another 980 injuries to police officers in the latest annual statistics. Los Angeles has one potentially deadly pursuit every 4 1/2 hours-resulting
in 1,000 deaths and injuries a year. One-third of all high speed chase deaths are innocent
bystanders. About 10 percent of high speed chases are
begun by felons while the vast majority begin from a simple traffic stop for a minor
infraction. |
| National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration-Pursuit Fatalities 1992-2001 Are these statistics accurate? |
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