Police

It might look like a video game but this car chase actually happened in real life in Denver Colorado.While the driver clearly excelled at stealing cars, driving like a maniac on the wrong side of the highway and dodging police and spike strips, he could do with a bit more practice at jumping fences.Watch the real life GTA video on our desktop site. 

The young Saudi Arabian illegal street drifter known on the internet as 'The King of Nazeem Neighborhood' was this week given a 10-year prison sentence and an extra penalty of 1000 lashes for reckless driving.A report in the Saudi Gazette said the 23-year-old, whose name was withheld, will also be banned from driving for life. However it seems he at least kept his life, for now, with the three judges voting two to one against giving him the death penalty.The Prosecutor-General has objected to the decision on the death penalty and has indicated there will be a review of the case. There is precedent for the death penalty, with a driver in 2012 executed by beheading after his stunts resulted in the death of two people.The King was prosecuted over drifting stunts that resulted in the death of a man who was riding as a passenger in his car -- which is emblazoned with the 'King's' crown logo on the bonnet.His videos show him speeding into and drifting through traffic, and firing machine guns into the air, the report says, adding that many residents in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, had complained about his driving.Undercover police officers arrested him in 2012 in a house on the Riyadh outskirts, where they also found numerous sets of license plates and false identification.Watch the desktop version of the car drifter gets 10 years video here. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott

Paul Walker, the 40-year-old star of  the Fast and Furious films was killed when the driver of a Porsche Carrera GT he was a passenger in lost control and hit a telegraph pole in Valencia, California.  Watch the desktop version of the Paul Walker crash video here. Also watch: Fast and Furious 6 final trailer Also watch: Fast and Furious 6 extended trailer Also watch: Fast and Furious 6 trailer

Senior cops are taking Victoria Police to Fair Work Australia claiming they're entitled to fancier cars than more junior members.The high-ranking police, with the backing of the Police Association, also object to being given LPG and hybrid cars, which are for their private use, as a cost-cutting measure. Instead, they are demanding they be given less fuel-efficient petrol driven Commodores or Falcons. Last month the Police Association wrote to Chief Commissioner Ken Lay saying that during negotiation of a 2011 enterprise bargaining agreement "verbal undertakings" had been given "that there would be a distinction between the range of cars available to commanders to those available to superintendents and that commanders would be entitled to the use of a higher-quality vehicle".The Police Association had since been informed that all new replacement vehicles for private use must be either a Toyota Hybrid sedan or a Holden 6 cylinder LPG vehicle, the letter stated. The move to LPG and hybrid vehicles would save Victoria Police tens of thousands of dollars a year through lower fuel bills.But the Herald Sun understands the top cops are not happy with the amount of space in the boot of the LPG models after the installation of the gas tank and special communications equipment which police need fitted.Last week the PA lodged a dispute in Fair Work Australia complaining that "Victoria Police have advised Commanders and Superintendents that . . . the range of vehicles will be severely restricted and that the range of vehicles that can be accessed by Commander and Superintendent will be the same".Police Association secretary Greg Davies said the dispute was about Victoria Police keeping its word. "The force entered into an agreement to provide specific types of cars and not even half-way through that agreement, they're changing the make of vehicle," he said."If they want to make savings that's all well and good but don't go changing horses in mid-stream." Victoria Police spokeswoman Leonie Johnson said: "Victoria Police has received a dispute notification lodged with Fair Work Australia. "We will not be providing comment at this time."

A London-style congestion tax to cut car numbers in major city centres has been flagged in a new report.Governments should adopt a "user pays, user says'' model where the community makes a direct contribution to projects and, in turn, gets a say on the level of service provided, Infrastructure Australia says.Government subsidies went only so far, it said, and a debate was needed about how to fund a growing number of critical projects such as roads and rail lines."A move to congestion charging will be needed if we are to reduce the growing economic burden of congestion and make best use of existing network infrastructure,'' the report said.Infrastructure Australia chairman Sir Rod Eddington said there was a deep disconnect between the infrastructure people wanted and the infrastructure people were prepared to pay for."The national infrastructure plan outlines the major reforms that are needed to lay the foundations for a more productive Australia over the next 50 years,'' Sir Rod said.IA spokesman Michael Deegan said Australia's road systems were broken."We think there is a need for a broader debate, including who pays,'' he said.The report said charging taxpayers to fund projects had several benefits, including managing demand and better use of existing infrastructure, improving the road network's productivity and reducing the need for expensive new investment.The congestion tax in London, set up over a decade ago, had reduced the number of cars and trucks entering the heart of the city by about 20 per cent and dramatically increased travel speeds. The money raised had been put back into the capital's public transport.The East West Link's status on the infrastructure priority list, also included in the report, remained unchanged as a project of "real potential'', the second-lowest of the four rankings.Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has pledged $1.5 billion towards the link -- which is the State Government's top transport project -- if elected.Jeff Singleton, a spokesman for Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese, said Infrastructure Australia recommended immediate funding for projects in the top two categories, "ready to proceed'' and "threshold''."When it comes to East West, we recognise that this project has potential merit, but we want to be able to fund a project where the numbers stack up and which is deliverable.""At this stage...they didn't have the business case,'' he said.

A man has been charged after Gold Coast police allegedly caught a seven-year-old boy driving a car at Surfers Paradise early this morning.It is alleged the 41-year-old man from New South Wales was drunk and riding in the passenger seat when police pulled over the car, being driven by the seven-year-old, on The Esplanade around 3am.He has been charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and adult in charge under the influence of liquor. The man will front Southport Magistrates Court on July 3. 

A Major review could see Queensland's top 110km/h speed limit lifted on some routes. Transport Minister Scott Emerson says he'll consider raising limits where there's a demonstrated need to do so, and if it's safe.“There is research out there which shows if you don't have the appropriate speed limit for the quality of the road, there is a tendency for people to break the law,” Mr Emerson told The Courier-Mail.“But it's not a case of ‘Look, everybody's speeding on this road so we should raise the limit,’ because the road may not be suitable for that speed.”Just as many speed limits were likely to drop, he said. Queenslanders will be invited to have their say on what speed limits should be.Currently, the Northern Territory is the only state or territory where motorists can legally drive faster than 110km/h on public roads. 

Jerimiah Clyde Hartline, 19, allegedly stole a big-rig full of strawberries and then crashed on a California highway, blocking traffic for hours, The Press-Enterprise reports. "He said zombies were chasing him and he had to get out of there,” said California Highway Patrol spokesman Nathan Baer.Mr Hartline allegedly took off with the truck and speed north, striking a car which then ploughed into two more vehicles. He continued driving, hitting two more cars and then losing control and flipping the truck.The accident blocked the entire highway and sent its cargo of strawberries all over the road. It took hours to clear, police said.Read more here: www.news.com.au

Sometimes, inventions are revolutionary. When the iPhone debuted in 2007, the world let out a collective gasp, as if to say, "Yes, that's just what I've been wanting!"Sometimes, inventions are dull. Ginsu knives and the ShamWow do things that other products do, they just claim to do them better. Meh. And sometimes, inventions are complete head-scratchers. In Japan, there's a whole category for such creations called chindōgu: inventions that seem clever on paper, but in practice become completely ridiculous. We'll let you guess which category the "safety belt t-shirt" falls into.The safety belt t-shirt is, quite simply, a white t-shirt that features a black strap running diagonally across the chest. It's meant to fool Chinese police officers into thinking that the driver is wearing a seatbelt.That's important because just as in Australia, drivers in China are required to wear seatbelts. Those who don't must pay a fine of 50 yuan, or around $8.00, and have two points (out of a total 12) deducted from their driver's license.Funny thing is, the t-shirts themselves cost up to 50 yuan. And obviously, they offer zero protection in the event of an accident. Which raises an important question: why not just wear the damn seatbelt?Another funny thing: the Chinese weren't the first to think of this. In fact, a quick search of shopping sites reveals an assortment of safety belt t-shirts on sale in America. You'll have to decide for yourself whether they belong in your closet.www.thecarconnection.com 

A 19-year-old US woman has been arrested after posting a video in which she boasted of stealing a car and robbing a bank.Hannah Sabata, 19, of Stromsburg, Nebraska, is seen in the video claiming she’s having the “best day of her life,” because she stole a Pontiac Grand Am and robbed a bank of more than $6,000.In the footage she brandishes car keys, bragging “my new car is shiny. Of course I took the plates off already.” She holds up a sign that boasts “then I robbed a bank with a gun, a pillow case and a note,” and then waves and fans herself with a large handful of money.Sabata also claims in the video that she is a “victim of the government” because the state took custody of her baby. She says she plans to pay off student loans and “go on a shopping spree.”According to a report on leading Nebraska news site, the York News Times, court documents state that “Sabata has a history of mental health problems and refused to take prescribed medication during pregnacy to protect her baby's health”.Sabata has been taken into custody on charges that she robbed a Waco bank after stealing a car in York.A photo taken as she is escorted by Sheriff’s Officers from her home shows her wearing a similar outfit to the one seen in the video and allegedly worn by the female bank robber captured on the bank’s surveillance cameras.