Budget constraints have made police officials consider reassigning a considerable number of officers from traffic enforcement to work on higher-priority, serious crimes  Reducing traffic enforcement for this reason would be counterproductive, however, in light of the tendency of criminals to use cars when engaged in the commission of serious crimes
An officer stopping a car for a traffic violation can make a search that turns up evidence of serious crime
When the public becomes aware that traffic enforcement has lessened, it typically becomes lax in obeying traffic rules.