Female trailblazers: Life in the fast lane!
Alondra Gutiérrez Carrillo remains one of the few women who arrives at the scene of a motor accident on a motorcycle.
By Sean McAllister
They are known as “adjustadores” or adjusters. Traversing the bustling traffic of Mexico City, they arrive at the scene of motor accidents. They are neither the police nor paramedics; they are actually insurance representatives that are there to help customers – and they are often the first to arrive.
Some adjusters arrive by car, others by motorcycle. And just one of these motorcycle adjusters in the city of 10 million is a woman. Her name is Alondra Gutiérrez Carrillo. Getting quickly to the accident scene may require Alondra to navigate hazardous roads, poor weather, unwelcoming neighborhoods and potentially hazardous situations on her Suzuki GXR 600cc. And she loves it!
Alondra’s role is to determine responsibility for the accident and to start the claims process. This requires a thorough understanding of local traffic regulations to ensure customers are not unfairly accused of causing an accident.
Emotions often run high at the scene of an accident, which means Alondra has sometimes entered volatile situations.
“I focus on solving problems and helping people,” says Alondra, who’s been with Zurich Mexico since 2017. “You have to understand that not everyone reacts the same in difficult circumstances. If we encounter a potentially dangerous incident, we ask the local police for support. But from experience you know how to handle these situations.”
In fact, the surprise of seeing a woman underneath the helmet can help to diffuse some situations. “There are some people who are amazed that I can even ride a motorcycle!” laughs Alondra. “But it means they ask questions about when I learned to ride, how I became an adjuster, or we talk about motorcycles. It helps to distract them from the fact they have been in an accident and helps to reduce stress and pass the time.”
Born to love two wheels
Alondra’s love of motorbikes started when she was young. Whenever she went to the local arcade, she would head straight to the motorcycle racing games – always jumping on the pink motorbike. Her love of two wheels was sealed when she received a white and pink electric bike at Christmas.
But the biggest influence was her grandfather Ramon Carrillo y Davila, who was also an adjuster. “I saw how he always talked about and enjoyed his work, even if he had to work on holidays. I remember even on Christmas Day, if his radio sounded, he would have to leave – but he enjoyed it,” recalls Alondra.
“In the evenings, when he was not on duty, he would organize his day’s paperwork at his desk that included the crash photos that he had taken with his polaroid camera. I was always very excited to listen to his stories from his day’s work.”
At that time, however, all the motorcycle adjusters were men – there were no female role models to inspire a young Alondra. Until there was a case of mistaken identity. When she was 12, Alondra saw a woman riding a motorcycle wearing a pink suit.
“I thought she was an adjuster like my grandfather so from that moment on, I knew I too wanted to be a motorcycle adjuster.” The pink suited female motorcyclist was actually promoting a local radio station – but it was too late, Alondra’s career choice was settled.
Alondra rode her first motorcycle at 17, when her friend gave her an unofficial three-hour lesson. But two years later she finally obtained an official license when she took a course to become a motorcycle adjuster – despite protestations from her family, who were worried about her riding the streets of Mexico City.
The trailblazer
Alondra is a true trailblazer. She has now been a motorcycle adjuster for 13 years and at Zurich Mexico she is part of a team of 32 adjusters. When Alondra started, she was the only female claims adjuster in the city, now other women have followed in her footsteps – although Alondra is still the only female adjuster who arrives on the scene on a motorcycle.
She spends most of her time on the road either helping customers or supporting her team. “I drive every day no matter the weather, because in Mexico City you can have all the seasons of the year in a single day,” says Alondra. But she still wouldn’t swap two wheels for four.
“I love riding a motorcycle. It’s one of the things I like most in life. And to do that while also helping customers – for me is a dream job.
“It is hard, challenging work. You need to be brave and have the desire to help people. And you have to love the job.”
But would she recommend her job to her two daughters, aged 5 and 11? “I’d be very happy and supportive if they followed my career path or chose to ride a motorcycle. My youngest daughter already loves motorcycles.”
If one of Alondra’s daughters does go on to become a motorcycle adjuster, then they will have their mother to thank for breaking down, and riding through, gender barriers.
