March 1st at 8am.

Changing habits ain’t easy.

Take my Grandad for example. In 1983, when the new seat belt law came into force, he thought it was far too uncomfortable.

Bearing in mind he’d been driving without a seat belt for decades, it was going to take a while for him to change his ways.

And more often than not, he’d simply forget to click it in as it wasn’t part of his subconscious yet.

So as a passenger, when he did remember he’d pull down the seat belt with his right hand and hold it to his side and make it look as if he was sticking to the law.

Thankfully he forced himself to wear it properly when driving. It wouldn’t have been an easy task to drive with his right hand while holding the belt and changing gear with the left!

Fortunately, he was never involved in a traffic accident during his driving days or it would’ve been a very different story.

On average, it takes 21 consecutive days to change or break a habit that no longer serves you but there’s one habit that’s taken me no time to break…

And it started at 8am on Mar 1^st 2017 to be precise; on my way to work.

What I’m referring to is the new mobile phone law.

I’d been driving legally-ish up till then, using my cars’ handsfree kit.

But habits like calling someone when I’ve been in a queue or a quick email check has had to stop.

So in case you’re unaware of what you can and cannot do and how to drive and talk legally – read on.

1) It’s illegal to physically hold the phone while driving.

2) You can’t use a mobile while waiting at the traffic lights or stuck in a queue.

3) Don’t use a phone when supervising a learner driver either (This was new to me.)

The Police can stop you if they think you’re distracted and not in complete control of your car. This includes eating a baguette or operating your Sat Nav and radio.

The penalty if you do get caught is six penalty points and a £200 fine. Ouch!

1) You CAN use a mobile if you need to call 999 or 112 in an emergency and it’s unsafe or impractical to stop the car.

2) And it’s fine if you’re safely parked up.

3) Also OK if you’re talking with a handsfree kit.

If you have a Smartphone, you’ll most certainly have Bluetooth built-in and most modern cars have Bluetooth as standard.

If you don’t have Bluetooth built-in your car, you can still get yourself hooked in so you can legally use your phone while driving.

There’s quite a range of Bluetooth car kits available so click here to see what’s available.