Watching DVDs and playing video games during long car journeys has been cited as damaging to children's language skills by the Government's communications advisor.

Jean Gross has urged parents to actively interact with their children at these golden opportunities with games like I-Spy instead of relying on the lazy in-car technology. Gross claimed that long journeys were a chance to "double children's vocabulary", and that the middle class were most likely to fob off the kids with DVDs, games and handheld gadgets.

While Gross may be right about those particular vehicular contraptions, there are many handy inventions for drivers from the genuinely useful to the ridiculous. Check out some of the best here!