The coroner will determine whether the pursuit complied with Victoria Police policy during an inquest into the 2017 Western Freeway crash.

Jacqueline Vodden was a passenger in a stolen Toyota HiAce van that was driven by a 17-year-old male on September 19, 2017 at Ballan when it collided with a parked truck in an emergency lane.

The circumstances of her death were outlined during a directions hearing at the Coroner's Court of Victoria on Wednesday afternoon and a scope for the inquest was decided.

Coroner Sarah Gebert will investigate the appropriateness of the police decision to follow and attempt to intercept the vehicle, to commence the pursuit and whether the pursuit complied with police policies.

The 17-year-old driver, who The Courier cannot name because he was a child at the time, was convicted of culpable driving causing death and is serving a five-year prison sentence, with a four-year non-parole period.

His sentence was reduced on appeal after originally receiving eight years, with a five-year non-parole period.

The court heard the driver had been linked to a number of burglaries, thefts and erratic driving in the weeks leading up to the deadly collision and police commenced an operation to locate him on September 1, 2017.

Between September 6 and 17, 2017, the 17-year-old took possession of a HiAce van that had been stolen from a Daylesford property and attached numbers plates stolen from Geelong.

About 1.30pm on September 19, 2017, four police members left Ballarat police station in an unmarked vehicle in an effort to locate him.

They received information over police radio that a man had driven off from a property in a HiAce van with stolen plates after a resident saw him attempt a burglary.

The officers drove to Ballan and parked on the side of Geelong-Ballan Road after receiving information he may be in that area.

The court heard the officers saw the white Toyota HiAce van drive past with number plates that matched the reports.

The Senior Constable driving the unmarked police car activated police lights and followed the van in an attempt to intercept it.

The court heard none of the police members knew who was in the van but suspected it was the wanted 17-year-old.

The driver of the van sped away on the wrong side of the road, entered a roundabout the wrong way and failed to stop on police direction.

Police pursued the van through the back streets of Ballan, reportedly at 120km/h in a 60km/h zone, before it turned onto the Western Highway.

Police saw the van accelerate to overtake a truck on the highway using the left hand emergency lane, reaching speeds of 130km/h, before it crashed into a parked VicRoads maintenance truck.

Jacqueline was ejected from the van, suffered extensive chest, pelvis, head and limb injuries and died at the scene.

The 17-year-old driver fled on foot, before he stole another car, was in another collision and ultimately was arrested.

Tests showed he had illicit drugs in his system.

The court heard the coroner's role was to investigate Jacqueline's death and make findings and recommendations that could prevent other deaths in similar circumstances.

The four police members in the pursuing vehicle will give evidence during the inquest.

The pursuit controller and three civilian witnesses will also be questioned during the inquest from February 7 to 11, 2022.

The court heard there was lack of clarity about how long the police vehicle was pursuing the van before it was broadcast over the radio and why the decision to pursue was made after the failed intercept.

There are also questions around the speeds the van was travelling throughout the pursuit and the lack of information about dangerous driving provided by members over the police radio.

Coroner Gebert acknowledge the inquest would be a difficult process for Jacqueline's family and friends and the police members involved in the pursuit.

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