RULES governing high-speed police chases must be revised following the death of a young man from New Southgate, a coroner ruled last week.

Lexy Williams, 24, of High Road, died on January 22, 2007, shortly after he crashed into the central reservation of the North Circular Road. Police chased him at speeds of up to 124mph after he refused to stop in Lincoln Road, Ponders End.

Officers believed the bike may have been stolen because its number plate looked too new for the vehicle, but this suspicion proved unfounded and Mr Williams was never connected with any crime.

The two-week inquest, held from March 17 to 28, heard that a catalogue of errors resulting from inadequate training guidelines and poor judgement contributed to the crash.

Coroner Andrew Walker criticised police behaviour during the chase and said the pursuit, by PC Darren Baxter, should have been discontinued as soon as it became apparent the police air support unit was not available.

PC Baxter denied he had been driving in a "red mist" – a state where a police officer becomes so focused on a specific goal he forgets about immediate safety concerns – and said he had followed training procedures and was always in control of the vehicle.

In his narrative verdict on Friday, Mr Walker said: "What comes out of this inquest is that the regulations are complex, contradictory and unworkable, and must be discarded in favour of a new version that sets out a threshold test.

“I think this will save many lives."

The coroner also said officers should have better communicated the severity and urgency of Mr Williams' injuries. On a balance of probability, the jury found Mr Williams would have had an increased chance of survival if treated by a doctor before he lost consciousness.

Mr Williams is among 151 people to have died in police-related accidents in the past five years, 91 of which have been as a result of police pursuits.

His mother, Kim Williams, 47, said she hoped a “Lexy’s Law” would come into effect to stop further deaths in the future.

“Lexy was a complete star in his own right, such a popular guy, and we hope something positive can come from his death,” she said.

“At the end of the day, grave concerns surrounding this issue have been raised for the past ten years, but still nothing has been done.

“We will have to make sure we don’t let this go and continue the fight to make these recommendations into regulations, otherwise this problem could continue forever until the sun goes down.”

Mrs Williams also stressed that police had to take personal responsibility for their actions.

“No matter what the regulations are, the police have to learn to use their common sense. If mistakes are made, they must be held accountable.”

The call for new rules follows a 2007 Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) report about police chases, which said more people were being killed as a result of accidents with police cars than from shootings.

It recommended an end to pursuit of motorbikes unless police had evidence of serious crime and there was a police helicopter to track the motorcyclist.

A Met spokesman said an IPCC-managed inquiry had found there was neither a criminal nor a misconduct case to be answered, but the police would consider the jury's comments and review its position on motorcycle pursuits.

He added: "Safety remains the Met's overriding concern and the normal rules of termination where a pursuit is deemed to be dangerous will continue to apply."

Marcia Willis Stewart, lawyer to Mr Williams’ family, said: “This inquest has raised a number of serious issues previously identified by the IPCC, but evidently not heeded by the Met.

“While the decision of the Met today is undoubtedly good news, if the recommendations of the IPCC report had been implemented effectively, Lexy might still be alive.

“Let’s hope this verdict acts as a catalyst for further change.”