Road safety charity Brake said more resources were needed to combat drink and drug driving, speeding and other offences as enforcement of traffic laws was the most powerful deterrent to illegal motoring.
Figures show Strathclyde Police lost 54 (15%) dedicated traffic officers between 2007 and 2011 – the highest drop across Scotland. However, the force claimed the Brake statistics did not reflect the full resources channelled into the "very high priority" area of policing.
