IT is such a common sight and yet every time it never fails to grab me just how foolish it is.

Someone on social media shares a video of something interesting or newsworthy happening.

Maybe they've driven through some particularly heavy flooding: cars are stuck, people are trapped, it looks dramatic... and they want to share it with their followers.

Maybe there's a helicopter landing on the M8. Hardly an every day sight.

Maybe there's been a terrible car crash and they want to let people know what's happening or show their friends how awful it is, this scene they are vaguely involved in.

It's an innate human instinct, to share news.

We love to gossip, we love to update each other on interesting happenings.

It's a way of processing traumatic or uncomfortable or disturbing sights, to talk it over with other people.

So what makes this so foolish?

Because the people who are filming the footage are clearly driving their cars at the same time as holding their phone.

It's astonishing that they do it and astonishing that they get away with it.

So I was pleased to see Police Scotland call this out on Sunday afternoon.

There was a multi-car crash on the M8, bringing the motorway to a standstill.

Yes, it was a dramatic sight and noteworthy but think how frightened the people must have been who were caught up in it.

READ MORE: Police slam driver who filmed Glasgow M8 crash aftermath

As well as dealing with the immediacy of the crash perhaps their minds were racing forwards to the aftermath - having to deal with insurance companies, the inconvenience of being without a car, having a to buy a new car if theirs is a write-off.

Even if you're uninjured, being a car accident is hellish.

So why would you want to film that?

Not to mention it's against the law.

Road Policing Scotland pulled no punches on Twitter.

Flagging up the incident, the force wrote: "In addition to the RTC, one driver drove past holding and recording the incident on their phone.

"They’re now subject of a report to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

"Completely and utterly unacceptable."

Of course, the allegations are only alleged at this time and it's not to say this individual is guilty of any charge.

But the force rightly flags up a serious issue.

I realise there's a bit of a double standard here, given it's my job to publicise awful events like car accidents.

However, that's in the public interest - people will want to know if a major road is closed - and our photographers take pictures only when it's safe to do so.

If you're just out and about - a Sunday afternoon drive, a trip to the shops - why would you want to film someone else's misery?

And if you've just witnessed the horror of a road crash, in particular, why put yourself at risk of being involved in one you cause by your own stupidity?

A couple of years ago I was given a McLaren sports car to drive for a couple of days.

Once I'd become used to the feeling of having control of £180,000 worth of machinery, I began to relax a bit more and see what was happening around me.

Madness, that's what was happening around me.

Drivers were rubbernecking the car so badly I thought I would be the cause of an accident.

READ MORE: Emergency services race to multi-vehicle smash on M8 near city centre

At one point, driving up the M8, I looked in the rear view mirror and spotted a chap in a van behind me filming my car on his mobile phone while we were going along at 70mph.

He had both wrists resting on the steering wheel while holding his mobile to film a landscape video of the car in front.

I mean, it was a nice car but not worth dying for.

Certainly not worth putting other road users at risk for.

It's sort of like the trend for taking selfies in inappropriate places.

There was a lot of talk of that for a while - folk gurning into their camera phones in front of the Arbeit macht frei sign at Auschwitz concentration camp or posing at the Twin Tower memorial in New York with the caption #hangover.

And let's no forget selfies in front of people attempting suicide. Grotesque.

There's something about a mobile phone camera that makes people behave like contemptible chumps.

They seem to think the camera makes them invisible to the human eye, a grown up game of peek-a-boo.

Guys, we can see you. We see that you're an idiot.

Show some respect, show some restraint and put the camera down.

Don't let me tell you - Road Policing Scotland will be letting you know soon enough.