BBC News Online's Tom Geoghegan hears from a victim's father and a campaign group about how lives can be saved.

A police car travelling at nearly 100mph killed 20-year-old Neil Homer as it sped through a red light in pursuit of a stolen vehicle.

Mr Homer, who worked in the car industry, was driving through the junction at Oldbury in the West Midlands in 1995.

The impact pushed his car 75 yards up the road and left it, according to his father Dennis, squashed to "the width of a motorcycle".

A police car in the hands of an inexperienced driver is like giving him a firearm

Dennis Homer

A police officer in the passenger seat was also killed and the driver was convicted of causing two deaths by dangerous driving.

He was sentenced to three months in prison and served six weeks.

The PCA report, published days after a woman was killed in south London by a car answering a 999 call, urged police to better assess the risks before giving chase.

Dennis Homer, 55, told BBC News Online: "There's no need for these deaths because police shouldn't be haring round the streets at 70mph.

"A police car in the hands of an inexperienced driver is like giving him a firearm - the consequences are the same."

Pursuit Deaths

1997/8: 9 1998/9: 16 1999/00: 21 2000/1: 24 2001/2(first nine months): 30 Figs from PCA

He said he knew of one death cause by a police car speeding to attend to a broken down vehicle.

And he called for better use of helicopters to carry out pursuits.

"There's a red mist syndrome and nothing will stop the driver.

"The only thing they can see is the vehicle they're chasing.

Stronger punishment

"As soon as a police car is behind a stolen vehicle, the blue lights go on and that's like a red rag to a bull because then the car in front has nothing to lose."

Mr Homer took some comfort that Neil's death had probably saved other lives.

West Midlands Police have improved their procedures since the 1995 tragedy, with spectacular success.

By using the police helicopter and a "Stinger" device which deflates suspects' tyres safely, they have had no fatalities in three years, bucking national trends.

Ms McDonald recovered from serious head injuries

"I look at that and think 'If only'", Mr Homer said.

The force have also placed greater responsibility for a police chase in the hands of the control room, not the driver.

This was a key recommendation of Thursday's report, which called for stronger disciplinary measures against drivers which ignored management instructions to call off a pursuit.

Mr Homer hopes the report will increase the police resolve to punish offending drivers.

He was devastated to learn than the officer responsible for his son's death went back to work after jail, until he left the force soon afterwards.

"That was a smack in the face and I felt very bitter after that," he said.

The fact it is a 999 call is not sufficient for a high-speed chase

Zoe Stow RoadPeace

He called for more information to be made available to victims and their families.

This was echoed by road safety campaign group RoadPeace.

Chairman Zoe Stow said: "The inquiry may be absolutely flawless, but if the family is not given full information, they think there's something dodgy going on."

'No strategy'

Ms Stow demanded only officers with a high standard of driving be allowed to take on a chase, and only in exceptional cases.

She supported the PCA's concern about a lack of strategy to stop the fleeing vehicles.

And she called for a "level playing field" in legal terms for victims and police drivers at inquests.

One of the most high profile cases involved Channel 4 newsreader Sheena McDonald, who was knocked down by a police van in Islington, north London, three years ago.