Mother of woman hit crossing road seeks to raise awareness of dangers of distracted driving

For two years now, Yvette Benitez has spent Sunday afternoons in April in the parking lot of a Port Jefferson Station strip mall, handing out flyers and talking with anyone who will listen about the dangers of distracted driving.

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the location is just a stone’s throw from Route 347, where her daughter, Hanahn  Benitez, was hit and killed by a car on a Sunday night  2½ years ago.

Hanahn was 26 and seven months pregnant at the time.

“I see it all the time … people driving, and they're on their phone, like it's nothing,” Benitez said as she handed out flyers to shoppers.

According to a recent survey by AAA, the federation of automobile clubs, 37% of drivers acknowledged reading a text or email while driving in the previous 30 days, and 36% admitted holding and talking on a cellphone.

“Any activity that takes your eyes off the road is a potential distraction and increases your risk of a crash,” said Robert Sinclair of AAA Northeast.

In addition to raising awareness, Benitez, who lives in Coram, wants tougher laws. She started an online petition demanding legislation that would, among other things, require police to confiscate drivers’ electronic devices after any fatal crash, to analyze how they were being used.

“I want you to show proof that you weren't on your phone at the moment, especially in fatalities,” she said.

Difficult to quantify role of distracted driving in crashes

Hanahn was born on Long Island and attended school in Dix Hills and South Huntington, Benitez said. She said her daughter had a mental illness, but was also a “bubbly personality” and very excited to become a mother.

“Whenever she met somebody, she wanted to become friends immediately,” said Mike Lowe, a family friend who helped Benitez distribute flyers Sunday.

Although the police did not find that the driver was at fault for the crash, which occurred as Hanahn was crossing the road outside of a cross walk after midnight on Sep. 11, 2022, Benitez thinks the driver might have been distracted, because the area was well-lit and her daughter was wearing brightly colored clothing.

According to official data from the Albany-based Institute for Traffic Safety and Management, driver inattention or distraction played a role in between 7% and 11% of fatal crashes each year from 2014 to 2023.

But this may be an undercount since distracted driving is not always thoroughly documented, Abdulgafoor Bachani, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University, previously told Newsday.

Mobile phones increase crash risk by up to 23 times when texting and four times when used at all, according to a synthesis study by Bachani and his colleagues.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee said it is using social media, TV and radio messaging to raise awareness about distracted driving this April, and is coordinating with law enforcement for increased vigilance on the roadways from April 7 to 14.

Assemb. Rebecca Kassay, who represents the area where Hanahn died, said she has been in touch with Benitez and is planning to draft legislation to strengthen police investigations of distracted driving.

“I deeply admire Yvette's dedication to her work to prevent the loved ones of crash victims from being haunted by these unknowns,” she said in an email to Newsday.

Lowe said the death of Hanahn, whom he considered “liked a daughter,” forced him to change his own driving habits.

“I’ve gotten good at ignoring my phone,” he said.

Handing out flyers with Benitez each April “makes it seem like [Hanahn’s] death was not in vain,” he added. “It does bring awareness to a multitude of people.”