I wonder how much of the high-speed chase "scene" is actually fuelled by all the hoopla. (TV broadcasts of soccer/football matches tend not to show streakers on the field for this reason)

In 2003, "Los Angeles Mayor Jim Hahn, along with Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, the California Highway Patrol, the Los Angeles Police Chiefs’ Association and the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners sent a letter Feb. 26 to news directors of television stations asking them to consider reducing the amount of police car chase coverage they broadcast."

  Officials asserted in their letter that live continuous coverage
  causes dangerous police chases to be looked upon as entertainment,
  and encourages suspects to flee in pursuit of instant fame.

  “Dangerous suspects are acquiring instant celebrity status when they
  recklessly evade police over our streets and highways. This form of
  notoriety is life threatening and should not occur,” said Los Angeles
  County Sheriff Lee Baca in the press release.

  "There have been instances where drivers look out windows and wave. Many
  [suspects] have made it abundantly clear that they’re enjoying the whole
  thing,” said Julie Wong, director of communications for the mayor’s
  office.