Two-thirds of motorists think they can get away with careless driving due to a lack of police on the roads, a survey has found.
Some 65% believe they are unlikely to be pulled over for offences such as tailgating or middle lane hogging, the AA poll of 19,500 drivers revealed.
More than half (55%) believe they would not be stopped for driving a vehicle in a dangerous or defective condition, while 54% think they would escape prosecution if they used a hand-held mobile phone behind the wheel.
The survey found that more than two out of five (43%) drivers think the police have no visible presence on motorways. This increased to 65% for local roads.
Only 45% of respondents believe Highways England traffic officers should be given more powers, and just a third (32%) want police community support officers to assist with road policing.
The number of roads police officers fell by nearly a third between 2007 and 2017, recent Freedom of Information requests sent by the Press Association revealed.
Mr King said: “With a significant drop in specialist traffic officers, it may prove to be difficult to ensure safety to everyone on our roads.”
