TomTom believes better education for drivers on the benefits of vehicle tracking systems may reduce the use of GPS jammers on Britain’s roads.

Its recommendation follows a government-backed study which revealed between 50 and 450 jamming incidents occur in the UK every day. These are believed to be drivers in vehicles fitted with tracking units attempting to hide their location from employers.

“Advanced fleet management and tracking systems are designed to make drivers’ jobs easier, can reduce stress behind the wheel and can even increase job security,” said Giles Margerison, director UK & Ireland TomTom Business Solutions.

“This needs to be fully explained to drivers and the right fleet management provider will offer businesses support and training to help them achieve this.

“By enabling companies to slash fuel costs and boost productivity in challenging economic times, fleet management solutions can help protect salaries and mean fewer workforce redundancies. Privacy functions are also available to ensure drivers are not tracked outside of working hours.”

Use of GPS jammers can cause disruption to telecommunications and power networks, as well as military systems, and a ‘GNSS vulnerability’ conference was held yesterday to discuss the implications of the findings.