Cars crashing after police call off pursuits?

[WMD351]

A long time ago a copper in Vic told me of a chase he was involved in.
He was pursuing an XD with a badly smoking motor that wouldn't last much longer, and the driver took to the West Gate Fwy and started heading up the bridge. The copper crapped himself because he suspected the driver might get to the top of the bridge and jump.
He then told me that once the lights came on the pursued was considered to be in custody, and if he jumped while the disco was flashing, it would be classed as a death in custody.
Death in custody = bad.
Very messy investigation follows for the police involved because of stupid rules!

And mandatory sentencing, an absolute crock being pushed by short sighted governments wanting to be seen to do something and looking for some cheap publicity.
They're an shockingly blunt instrument that can easily do more harm than good.
Since it's started to become more prevalent, the courts have had to start handing out more and more wholly suspended sentences, and now the brilliant Vic government is pandering to the public outrage about to many people not going to prison and looking to shut the gate on wholly suspended deals as well.
Forget about taking into account the facts relating to what has actually happened, just lock people up for the hell of it!
Of course none of this would be happening if the judiciary hadn't been such a bunch of softy dills for so long in the first place.

For the record, I like the American system. If somebody runs, you take 'em down ASAP. End it. Full stop.