PPP Speaks a Common Language
with Latin America
PPP Travels to Quito, Ecuador on Behalf of Roadway Safety Education
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- No matter the city, state or country, concerned officials everywhere speak the language of roadway safety, as witnessed by Professional Pavement Product's participation in the 2nd Annual International Road Safety Week Conference in Quito, Ecuador held the last week of November, 2011. The conference was attended by government officials and highway engineers representing several Central and South American countries including Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Chile and Colombia.
Professional Pavement Product's (PPP) President and Founder, Greg Driskell, had the distinct honor of accepting an invitation to speak at the Road Safety conference on the relevance and importance of retroreflectivity to roadway safety.
PPP President speaks at International Road Safety Week Conference in Quito, Ecuador
PPP has been providing roadway safety materials to the region since 2010. Driskell's intention is not only to expand the business PPP does in the region, but also PPP's commitment to roadway safety education.
“These countries are sincerely concerned about the safety of their roadways, the Road Safety Conference is a perfect example of this concern and commitment.”
- Greg Driskell
At the conference, hosted by the Ecuador Ministry of Transport and Public Works (MTOP) in coordination with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), agencies from across the South American continent came together to collaborate on proven safety measures and to hear experts offer further information and training.
The key focus Driskell's presentation was the purpose, importance, and use of retroreflectivity products on roadways. The presentation included information on the encouraging downward trends in the statistics on U.S. roadway fatalities over the last couple of years. He also shared a list of methods, policies, and products that have contributed to the reduced fatalities in the U.S.
“Our close affiliation with RoadVista, the San Diego-based manufacturer of retroreflectivity measurement equipment, over the past six years has not only resulted in our expertise on the subject retroreflectivity and roadway safety, but it has caused us to become passionate about it as well,” said Driskell.
Gill Alvarez, PPP Miami
Branch Manager
Driskell, who is currently attempting to learn Spanish, had the translation assistance of the native speaking Gill Alvarez, PPP's Miami Location Manager.
“I am somewhat of an experienced presenter, however, it doesn't matter how good you are if you don't speak their language. Thankfully Gill did a great job of making me look good!” said Driskell.
This was Driskell's second trip to Ecuador in 2011. On these visits, he has had the honor of meeting with top officials of the Ecuadorian MTOP to discuss and advise on several priority roadway safety measures. Among roadway safety issues common around the world, Ecuador and its neighboring countries are particularly battling pedestrian safety.
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“Ecuador has these long, high-speed, two-lane, rural highways that connect very small villages of sort that are lightly populated,” said Driskell. “The people that reside in these villages live and congregate on the roadway's edge so they are constantly crossing from one side to the other. Combine that with high-speed, transient traffic, and it spells danger and disaster for the locals.”
The agencies and locals alike have tried many methods to make these areas safer and continue to depend on the experience and knowledge of professionals like Driskell to provide ideas and product solutions.
When asked what the most intriguing part of his experiences in Ecuador, Driskell quickly responded "There is a lot of poverty in these countries and while they may lack in education, resources and capital, they do not lack in motivation, resourcefulness and ingenuity!"
About Professional Pavement Products (PPP)
Since 1996, PPP has been a leading provider in quality pavement maintenance and construction products for the improvement of safety and effectiveness of our roadways and parking areas. The organization provides over 700 products through six outlets in the Southeast and Texas as well as online. To learn more, please visit the About Us section of pppcatalog.com.
