When drivers in New York City and across the country choose to not pay full attention to the road while behind the wheel, their negligence could have severe consequences for other people on the road. If they are found to have acted negligently in a car accident, they may be liable when it comes to personal injury.

With the growing concern of distracted driving due to cellphone use and texting, officials and families of victims are trying to bring light to the issue. Officials have set up campaigns such as distraction.gov and family members have started nonprofits, such as FocusDriven, in order to urge drivers to stop texting while driving.

Road distraction doesn't only come in the form of cellphone use. Officials say although personal electronics have been the latest symbol of distracted driving, the issue has been around for a long time. Distracted driving can come from playing with the car radio, scolding children in the back seat or even talking to a passenger. A recent case of distracted driving led to the death of three individuals. A man, with his wife and 1-year-old in his sport utility vehicle, swerved into oncoming traffic as he was trying to locate a DVD in his car. His wife died in the crash, along with the husband and wife in the other vehicle. Out of the three young children in the other vehicle, two young boys were paralyzed.

Officials say more than 3,000 people died in 2010 in crashes where the driver was distracted. They say people who text while driving are 23 times more likely to be involved in an accident.

Source: MySA, "Distracted driving gets attention," Michelle Koidin Jaffee, Feb. 13, 2012