The province of Alberta mourned this week when beloved MLA Manmeet Bhullar was laid to rest following his tragic roadside death in late November.
That unfortunate fatality resulted when Bhullar exited his vehicle to help a motorist whose car had “flipped in a median.” While he was assisting the crash victim, a semi-truck veered out of control and struck the conservative leader, according to the Toronto Star.
Brokers in the province are still reverberating from the unexpected loss.
“We were very sad to hear about it. He was a great individual,” said Hugh McTavish, president, Godfrey Morrow Insurance and Financial Services.
While he is unfamiliar with the details surrounding Bhullar’s passing, McTavish is dismayed over the frequency with which vehicles still collide with pedestrians traveling through a crosswalk.
“It’s not the sole answer, and it’s not going to bring Bhullar or other folks back, but we do need to raise awareness for vehicles and pedestrians,” he said. “Both in pedestrians being more aware of vehicles, and vehicles being more aware of pedestrians.”
As a brokerage, Godfrey Morrow engages in numerous outreach campaigns to emphasize these critical precautions. Its next campaign hopes to target young drivers, and provide valuable advice regarding their responsibilities on the road.
“It hasn’t launched yet, but we’re piloting one that uses telematics to measure driving behavior and provide feedback, not to an insurance company but to them, that shows how they’re driving,” McTavish said. “Sometimes seeing a score has a bigger impact than other sources of feedback, such as speeding tickets.”
McTavish believes that technology will grow to play a more prominent role in reducing fatalities, which is why he also leads the innovation-focused brokerage InsureMy. But for now, brokers need to reinforce these messages with the public to ensure that cautious driving reminds top of mind for Canadians.
“We need to prevent accidents, and not respond to them after the fact,” he said.
