Grand Theft Auto IV
I doubt there's any statistics to prove or disprove this theory, but I think the number of police chases increases nationally when new versions of Grand Theft Auto are released.
The latest version of the game, Grand Theft Auto IV was released a couple of weeks ago, and all of a sudden, it seems that I'm reading about more and more pursuits.
Here's some examples:
Video shows police beating restrained suspects.
Police pursuit ends in arrest.
Police pursuit ends at LA Harbor.
Police pursuit requires air support.
San Diego cops chase man after he steals three copies of GTA IV
Coincidence?