April 22, 2004
Harborview study examines police-chase fatalities
Approximately 300 lives are lost each year in the United States as a result of vehicle crashes related to police pursuits, and one third of these fatalities occur to people not involved in the chase. These findings, the result of research by investigators at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, suggest a need to explore the balance between the apprehension of criminals and the potential risk to the pursuing police officers and the general public, the researchers said.
“Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths Related to Police Pursuits in the United States” is published in the April issue of the journal Injury Prevention. The research is based on analysis of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the Crashworthiness Data System of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the years 1994-2002.
There were 260-325 police pursuits ending in fatalities each year during the nine-year period. Of the fatal injuries, 1,088 were to people not in the fleeing vehicles, and 2,055 were to people in the fleeing vehicles. Nearly one third (30.1 percent) of the fatalities were to occupants of vehicles not involved in the police pursuits.
“High-speed pursuit of suspected criminals by police is controversial,” says Dr. Frederick Rivara,UW professor of pediatrics and adjunct professor of epidemiology, and principal investigator for the study. “Crashes tend to occur in the dark, at high speeds, and often on local roads. Given the fact that 300 lives are lost annually and the victims are often innocent people, we have to ask ourselves whether there may be safe and effective alternatives to high-speed police pursuits of suspected criminals.”
In the 2,654 crashes and 3,146 fatalities studied, 102 fatalities were to pedestrians and bicyclists, and 40 were to police officers. Fleeing vehicles were found to be traveling a mean of 25.4 mph over the speed limit at the time of the crash.
In addition to Rivara, the study was conducted by Chris Mack, research consultant at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center.
