  We use astrometric, distance and spindown data on pulsars to: (1) estimate
three-dimensional velocity components, birth distances from the galactic plane,
and ages of individual objects; (2) determine the distribution of space
velocities and the scale height of pulsar progenitors; (3) test spindown laws
for pulsars; (4) test for correlations between space velocities and other
pulsar parameters; and (5) place empirical requirements on mechanisms than can
produce high velocity neutron stars. Our approach incorporates measurement
errors, uncertainties in distances, deceleration in the Galactic potential, and
differential galactic rotation.
  We find that the scale height of the progenitors is approximately 0.13 kpc,
that the 3D velocities are distributed in two components with characteristic
speeds of 175(+20,-30) km/s and 700(+200,-150) km/s representing 83% and 17% of
the population respectively. These results are insensitive to the explicit
relation of chronological and spindown ages. We infer that the most probable
chronological ages are typically smaller than conventional spindown ages by
factors as large as two. We assess mechanisms for producing high-velocity
neutron stars in view of the derived velocity distribution function.
