Drivers think they can ‘get away with offences’

TWO-THIRDS of the UK’s 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 of motorists surveyed (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.

AA president Edmund King described the findings as “worrying” and also called for “more cops in cars” so that people are deterred from breaking driving laws.

The survey found that more than two out of five (43%) drivers think the police have no visible presence on motorways.

This increased to a figure of 65% for local roads.

Only 45% of respondents believe Highways England traffic officers should be given more powers, and just one-third (32%) want police community support officers to assist with road policing.

The number of roads police officers fell by nearly a third during the period 2007-17, recent Freedom of Information requests sent by the Press Association revealed.

Mr King added: “With a significant drop in the numbers of specialist traffic officers, it may prove to be difficult to ensure safety for everyone on our roads.”