The industry is built around satellite-based navigation systems such as the global positioning system (GPS) and data companies such as NAVTEQ in Chicago.

The directionally challenged have celebrated as electronic navigation systems have crept into cars, boats, laptops and handheld devices. Hardly a new car is driven out of the lot without a Garmin or another device suction cupped to the windshield.

Apple has struggled to keep its GPS-enable iPhone in stock, too.

Chicago-based NAVTEQ, which gathers data and provides electronic map coverage of 72 countries on six continents, made headlines in 2008 as it was snapped up by Nokia for $8.1 billion. The popularity of digital maps and the profitability of the technology are both indisputable.

Still, one must question whether such devices are helping users arrive more quickly and safely to their destinations or if they’re simply another dangerous distraction.

Much has been made about the adverse effect handheld devices have on drivers. In 2007, cell phones in Illinois were cited as the primary or secondary cause of 1,357 traffic accidents. Those crashes resulted in eight fatalities and 351 injuries, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).

Officials have responded by joining 32 other states in introducing legislation to better track such accidents and crack down on drivers who are distracted by cell phones and other mobile technology.

Thus far, there have been few studies on the impact of electronic navigation systems on the behind-the-wheel performance of drivers. The few that have emerged, however, seem to indicate that such devices can be just as distracting as cell phones and PDAs.

British insurance company Direct Line recently surveyed more than 2,000 drivers in the United Kingdom. The company found that 2 percent (or what would amount to 290,000 motorists) reported that GPS had caused them an accident or a near accident.

Further, the survey found that navigation systems distract and confuse millions of drivers and encourage risky driving behaviors.

“Motorists need to realize that – while [satellite navigation is] a helpful navigation tool – drivers should not follow their instructions to the detriment of road safety,” said Maggie Game, head of Direct Line, in a published statement. “If a [satellite navigation device] gives you an instruction [that] is likely to endanger other road users, you should ignore it.”

Satellite navigation companies and digital mapmakers should watch closely to see whether their products join mobile phones on the list of items restricted on the road.