By Janice Sutton
When Dr. Will Murray died early this month, we lost a tireless researcher and advocate for road safety, and a great friend to a broad community of coworkers. As great as our loss is, his death is devastating to his family and friends in Huddersfield, England where he lived and worked and received his PhD in Logistics Management at Huddersfield University. Will was a devoted husband and father to his two sons, and a dedicated and passionate soccer coach.
Of Will, it can be truly said that our pain at his passing is conquered by the joy and honor of knowing him; we never missed an opportunity to spend time with Will when we were visiting the UK. His dedication to road safety sprung in great measure from a genuine interest in ameliorating the unnecessary human loss and suffering caused by collisions.
Ed Dubens, Executive Director of eDriving —where Will was Director of Research— perhaps put it best when he told Fleet News, “Even those [who knew Will] only a short time or interacted with him briefly at a conference came away recognizing the complex and compassionate genius he was.
“Everyone who came in contact with Will always enjoyed every minute they spent with him. His charisma and congeniality were unrivaled and his passion for our industry and saving lives was palpable in every conversation.”
Will and Ed had been colleagues at Interactive Driving Systems before it was acquired by eDriving earlier this year.
Will was a trustee, and fundraiser and technology contributor to Brake, the UK road safety charity. Mary Williams, OBE, Brake’s chief executive wrote, in a statement, “The whole Brake team is deeply shocked and saddened at the untimely death of our dear friend and colleague Will. His legacy is far-reaching. He was instrumental in helping me establish Brake in 1995 and served with distinction continually, and entirely voluntarily, for the past 21 years as a trustee, proving to be a huge asset to the charity through his road safety expertise, his deserved and ever-increasing standing in the fleet safety industry, and his renowned generosity and kindness.
“Will served the charity in many ways, giving us significant time, always with academic rigor and constantly in pursuit of practical solutions. He was at the forefront of our strategic approach and delivery of information and advice to employers regarding road risk management; a key member of our team. But his support for Brake didn’t stop there. Just this summer, he cycled from London to Paris on behalf of the charity, raising valuable funds for our work supporting people bereaved and injured in road crashes.
“Will never sought personal reward or recognition: his motivation was always to make a difference. He will remain in my head forever, always supporting me, yet always academically confronting me: ‘How can we save more lives, Mary? What are your thoughts? What’s next?’ There can be no doubt that Will’s contributions through academia, industry and Brake saved many lives, through evidence-based, practical measures.”