Hot Pursuit: Police Chase Fact Sheet on truTV.com

Hot Pursuit

TV-14 L,V

The majority of police pursuits begin with a stop for a traffic violation.
About half of all police car chases end in less than two minutes.
According to the FBI, about 300 people in the U.S. die each year in police chases. This includes criminals, officers and bystanders. That last group makes up about a third of all fatalities.
At the time of fatal crashes, fleeing vehicles are traveling an average of 25 mph.
Nearly 60% of all officers killed in car chases don't die because they hit another car. Running off the roadway and crashing into trees, walls and other objects are leading causes of the fatalities.
Less experienced officers are much more likely to be in a chase fatality than someone who's been on the force for years.
Tire deflation (spike strips) is the most common method for police to catch fleeing drivers.
New York City Patrolman Thomas Meagher is believed to be the first officer killed by an automobile. On April 27, 1899, Meagher was struck by a car after assisting two women cross the street. He died a week later.
Different jurisdictions have different rules about when officers are allowed to pursue perps who are driving away. In some places, cops are given a green light to chase down misdemeanor suspects, while in other locales officers are generally precluded from going after even violent felons.
One of the most effective—but dangerous—methods police use to stop a fleeing suspect is the Precision Intervention Technique, or PIT (also called Tactical Vehicle Intervention). In the PIT, the officer will bump the bad guy’s car just behind the rear wheel, causing the perp to spin out.
One of the longest police chases on record occurred in 2002, when police followed three armed bank robbers 620 miles through Germany, Poland and the Ukraine. The trio eventually surrendered.
In his book "The Greatest Movie Car Chases of All Time," author Jesse Crosse named the chase scene from 1968 movie Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen, as the greatest ever filmed.