Two drivers were killed in a crash after a satnav audio directed one the wrong way down a slip road.
Tracey Haybittle, 58, died in hospital last year after her Volkswagen Tiguan was in a head-on crash with Amal Mohamed Ahmed’s Peugeot 2008 in November.
The 38-year-old had ‘mistakenly’ driven the wrong way down the ‘off’ slip road of the A5 near the village of Little Brickhill, just south of Milton Keynes.
She died instantly at the scene. A female passenger who was critically injured survived the crash.
In a ‘prevention of future deaths report’ to TomTom, Apple, Google, and National Highways, assistant coroner for Milton Keynes, Sean Cummings, slammed satnavs for ‘frequently’ giving verbal commands that ‘confuse’ drivers.
Tracey Haybittle, 58, died in hospital last year after her Volkswagen Tiguan was in a head-on crash with Amal Mohamed Ahmed’s Peugeot 2008 in November.
‘Further enquiries by the police and information volunteered by members of the public who made the same incorrect manoeuvre led to the finding that while the visual map display on commonly used satnav applications at this junction displayed the correct information, the verbal commands gave information likely to confuse and direct drivers down the wrong slip road into the path of oncoming traffic,’ he said.
‘This was observed to happen frequently.’
Mr Cummings said Ms Ahmed had been following audio directions from her satnav and ‘proceeded to drive down the slip road at speed and collided head on with Mrs Haybittle’s vehicle’.
In the report, the coroner told the organisations action should be taken to prevent future deaths.
National Highways has already narrowed the ‘mouth’ of the junction to one lane in an attempt to prevent motorists driving the wrong way.
Large ‘no entry’ and ‘do not use satnav’ signs have also been put up with CCTV monitoring drivers’ behaviour.
The 38-year-old had ‘mistakenly’ driven the wrong way down the ‘off’ slip road of the A5 near the village of Little Brickhill, just south of Milton Keynes (stock photo)
But Mr Cummings said despite the measures motorists are still ‘frequently’ travelling the wrong way down the slip road, reported The Telegraph.
TomTom, Apple, Google, and National Highways have until October 17 to respond to the report and outline what measures they will be taking.
Milton Keynes Council in February said in the aftermath of the fatal crash that it had found ‘no safety issues’ at the junction, reported the MK Citizen.
The local authority’s chief executive Michael Bacey told the coroner the council had held talks with Thames Valley Police and National Highways in which they all agreed the signage had complied with regulations.
‘If at any time we identify an urgent safety hazard on a road where National Highways has responsibility for doing any works we would engage with them,’ he said.
MailOnline has contacted TomTom and National Highways for comment.