Clarion’s latest portable navigation unit has been labelled dangerous by road safety experts for showing SMS (text) messages on-screen.

The criticism comes in the wake of the RAC revealing more than a third (39%) of UK motorists have been ‘seriously distracted’, with in car entertainment, satellite navigation and mobile phones the top three culprits.

Clarion’s MAP790 manages to combine two of the greatest distractions to motorists as it shows SMS (text) messages on-screen.

“Reading a text message while driving is extremely dangerous, whether it’s on a satellite navigation screen or on a mobile phone,” explained Roz Cumming, Fleet Safety Forum manager at Brake.

Research from the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) revealed that using a hands-free mobile phone while driving is more likely to lengthen reaction times than having 80mg of alcohol in the bloodstream – the current UK limit.

Kevin Clinton, head of road safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), added: “We all need to realise cars are not offices and we need to concentrate on driving and not try to do other things at the same time.”

A spokesman for Clarion insisted it was not their intention for the SMS on-screen service to be used while the vehicle is moving.

He added that when the system was switched on, it reminded the driver of his or her responsibilities, including a statement which read: “Do not try to operate, enter data into or obtain data from this product while driving, because such presents a life hazard, and the lack of proper attention may cause death, injury or material damage.”

The number of fatalities as a result of in vehicle distractions has increased 50% over the last three years.