Recent research has found that satellite navigation systems, popular among many van drivers, have caused more than 30,000 accidents with misguiding or clearly incorrect directions.

Research found that many drivers obediently followed the instructions from the device even when directed to take illegal or unsafe turns.

Spokesperson Brake, the national road safety charity, Katie Shepard, said that satellite navigation systems could put lives in danger and called for harsher sentencing in the case of death caused by in car gadgets such as satnavs.

She advised anyone thinking of purchasing a satellite navigation system for their vehicle to consider their safety while using the device.

“Anyone buying a satnav must consider whether they can be safe on the road,” she said.

The dangers posed by the devices are apparent by statistics which reveal that one in ten satnav users say that their device has instructed them to take a dangerous or illegal turn and one in five say that using the device has caused them to hesitate on a busy road and lose track of traffic.

Maggie Game of insurance giant Direct Line, warned: "If a satnav gives you an instruction that is likely to endanger other road users, ignore it. Motorists must realise that while they are a helpful navigation tool, they should not follow their instructions to the detriment of road safety."

Scholar Cary Cooper, of Lancaster University, said: "When you see pictures of a lorry being lifted out of ditch with a crane, it's difficult to understand why drivers follow a satnav even when it's clearly wrong.

"But some people are easily persuadable and will follow instructions. Even when information is being fed back to them, such as road signs that suggest they're on the wrong route, they won't believe it. They only admit mistake when they're being winched out of a gully."

This is a view which insurance companies are inclined to agree with and many will not pay out in the event of accidents caused by satnav mistakes. Bearing this in mind, all drivers with a satnav should remember to use common sense when following its directions.