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 per cent 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 per cent) believe they would not be stopped for driving a vehicle in a dangerous or defective condition, while 54 per cent think they would escape prosecution if they used a hand-held mobile phone behind the wheel.

The Daily Echo has recently reported how over-stretched Dorset traffic officers are suffering the worst pressure in decades, as cuts push frontline police staff ‘to the limit’.

The number of dedicated traffic officers in Dorset has reduced by more than a quarter since 2009.

In Dorset there is just one inspector, seven sergeants and 35 constables compared to two inspectors, six sergeants and 53 constables in 2009.

AA president Edmund King described the findings as "worrying" and 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 drivers think the police have no visible presence on motorways. This increased to 65 per cent for local roads.

Only 45 per cent of respondents believe Highways England traffic officers should be given more powers, and just a third (32 per cent) 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."

Dorset Police also has the dedicated No Excuse team who are all fully-trained traffic officers as well other members of staff who can carry out breath tests.