THOSE high-speed Los Angeles car chases often seen on cable news could become a thing of the past – if California lawmakers get their way.

Law enforcement groups there are pushing to get a bill passed that would severely punish fleeing drivers.

At the same time, another group of California legislators are pushing for a bill penalizing cops who recklessly pursue those drivers.

According to California Highway Patrol statistics, the number of high-speed chases has increased every year since 2001, from 5,900 that year to more than 7,000 in 2003, when 51 people were killed during high-speed chases.

The bill, sponsored by California law enforcement, would mandate drivers’ education about the stiffer criminal penalities they are liable for if anyone is injured or killed during pursuit.

Dramatic car chases – usually captured by helicopter-borne traffic cameras – became a staple for cable TV after the O.J. Simpson low-speed chase captivated a national TV audience in 1994.