New report says U.S. police chases lead to record deaths

SACRAMENTO, the United States, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- A national investigation into U.S. police pursuits has found the often-deadly chases kill in record numbers, and the majority of the dead were passengers or bystanders rather than the fleeing drivers.

At least 3,336 people were killed in police vehicle pursuits from 2017 through 2022 across the United States, and at least 1,377 people died in 2020 and 2021, the most recent years for which federal data was available -- almost two people a day on average, according to an analysis by the San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday.

For decades, the U.S. federal government has not tracked all deaths tied to pursuits, despite car chases being one of the most dangerous activities in U.S. policing. The Chronicle said their analysis is one of the first kind and fills in a gap in the country's police pursuit fatality data.

The analysis is based on information from the federal government, private research organizations and media reports. The authors of the report admitted the figures are still likely undercounted.

They also accused the government of "significantly undercounting" the number of people killed in police pursuits and keeping hundreds of deaths hidden.

Among the police pursuit deaths from 2017 through 2022, 1,562 people died in a chase that ignited over a traffic violation. Only 15 percent of all pursuits were launched over a suspected violent crime.

The state of Georgia ranks first in police pursuit fatality rates, with 21 deaths per 1 million residents, followed by Alabama and New Mexico.