WE all openly admit to have seen it - and surely there can be few who can honestly say that they haven't actually done it.

What sin are we talking about? Using a mobile phone while driving without a hands-free kit which from today becomes an offence punishable by a £30 on-the-spot fine.

That fine could rise to £1,000 if the case goes to court and drivers of heavy vehicles face penalties of up to £2,500.

The law, pioneered by Rossendale and Darwen MP Janet Anderson, obviously makes safety sense.

Logic dictates that you cannot concentrate 100 per cent on the road ahead and possible traffic hazards when one hand is holding the phone to your ear and your brain is engaged in a conversation. The Association of Chief Police Officers has issued guidelines which appear to give two months grace "in order to assist in the education of drivers".

That doesn't mean no one will get booked but it appears to suggest that many drivers caught in the next few weeks will escape with a warning rather than an immediate fine.

Such a settling-in period (although it doesn't look as if it will happen in Scotland where police will be enforcing the law with vigour from today) is a good idea.

Hands-free kits are likely to sell like hot cakes. Habits have got to change fast - for safety's sake.