A new report has warned motorists that they could end up forcing car insurance premiums to dramatically increase if they continue to rely totally on satellite navigation systems.

Incidents of sat navs misleading drivers into the wrong place or even danger have been on the rise and affected motorists have continued to throw insurance claims at car insurers.

A study from NFU Mutual had found that more than a quarter of drivers admitted following the direction dictated by their sat navs even if they headed into unsuitable rural roads.

While 91 per cent of respondents said rural roads were more dangerous, about 35 per cent agreed they drove less carefully and faster on them.

And the result has been a rise in crashes on such roads as people were misled by their sat navs.

NFU Mutual’s Ian Jewitt said the survey exposed just how people had very little knowledge of the hazards of rural roads.

“It’s particularly worrying that a quarter of sat nav users continue to follow the gadget’s instruction even when their eyes tell them they are heading up a farm,” he lamented.