The number of speeding tickets handed out across the state has sharply declined, dropping by more than one-third since 2008, as budget-crunched police departments scaled back traffic details to focus on crime.

Last year, police issued 241,979 citations, 60,000 fewer than in 2008, and in the first quarter of this year wrote just 48,575, according to the latest statewide figures. If that pace holds, the year’s total will be down 35 percent from 2008 levels.

Law enforcement officials and traffic specialists speculate that a range of factors could be influencing the decline - from high gas prices slowing mileage-conscious drivers and persistent unemployment reducing the number of commuters, to sympathetic police officers letting more off the hook with a warning.

But the drop also coincided with a period of widespread layoffs and reduced overtime budgets since the economy collapsed in 2008, they say, leaving police departments with fewer officers to patrol the roadways.

“I can’t tell you the last time I wrote a ticket,’’ said James Machado, a sergeant in Fall River, where staffing levels have dropped 20 percent during the past few years. “Very seldom do you hear a patrol officer calling out a traffic stop. The call volume is constant, and you just don’t have the time.’’

According to figures provided by the Registry of Motor Vehicles, tickets issued in Boston dropped by nearly half, from 7,609 in 2008 to 4,179 last year. State Police, who patrol highways and state roads, wrote 140,785 tickets last year, down from 170,000 in 2008, and are on track to write even fewer this year.

Police officials said staff shortages have made traffic details a luxury in recent years. Since officers on general patrol rarely have time to concentrate on the roads, even losing one or two traffic officers can sharply reduce ticket output.

“Believe me, very little time is being spent on traffic enforcement,’’ said Robert A. DeMoura, the chief of police in Fitchburg, where the traffic unit has been cut to a single officer and citations have dropped 19 percent.

Some police say they are more often cutting drivers a break, saying they don’t want to inflict the big fines and insurance premium increases that come with a ticket at a time when many are struggling.

“Officers are definitely being more lenient,’’ said A. Wayne Sampson, who directs the Massachusetts Police Chiefs Association. “Chiefs hear this every day from their officers: Times are tough, and they are deeply concerned about how people are going to pay for this. So they hope a warning will be enough.’’