IRVINE, CA — Darren Bakers, Tim Brubaker, and John Sinclair can finally say they’re worth a million – in miles, that is.

On Friday, July 28, Bakers, Brubaker, and Sinclair will become members of the National Safety Council’s Million Mile Club: an honor reserved for employees driving one million miles – or 30 years – without an at-fault accident. 

Now imagine the equivalent of driving 40 times around the globe without ever leaving the city limits, and imagine doing it safely, under hazardous road conditions, gridlock, rural terrain, and with a vigilant eye on inattentive drivers.

As a result of their achievement, they will be honored on Friday, July 28, 2017, at 8:30 a.m. at the Irvine Post Office, 15642 Sand Canyon Ave, Irvine, CA 92619.

“Driving more than a million miles without a preventable accident is such an amazing feat,” said Henry Moreno, Postmaster Irvine Post Office.  “I’m extremely proud of these employees for putting safety and service first.  The Irvine community and surrounding townships that we serve benefit daily from the excellent performance of these employees.”

Bakers, Brubaker, and Sinclair will be presented with a plaque from the Safety Council and automatic membership in the prestigious National Safety Council “Million Mile Club.” The million-mile award is a lifetime enrollment, and it is given to drivers who have accumulated one million miles or 30 years of driving without being involved in a preventable motor vehicle accident.  According to the National Safety Council, it takes approximately 30 years to accumulate one million miles.

Bakers attributes his accident-free driving to being constantly alert for dangers and anticipating the actions of other drivers.

Brubaker advises everyone to pay attention to their surroundings by looking ahead, checking mirrors, following the rules of the road, and giving themselves enough time to react in a safe manner.  He also reminds carriers to always shift the gear in park, curb the wheels, set the parking brakes, turn off the engine, and remove the keys from the ignition prior to stepping out of the vehicle.

Sinclair states to be totally mindful of what you are doing and be focused on the task at hand.  His advice to new carriers is to have “Present Moment Thinking.”

A common denominator, or trait, that the drivers share is defensive driving.

The United States Postal Service has one of the largest vehicle fleets in the world. Our drivers face hazardous road conditions, congestion, gridlock, city and rural terrain and careless drivers on a daily basis.

MEDIA ALERT: For photo and interview opportunities, contact Postmaster Henry Moreno at (949) 453-4953.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

###

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom.

Follow us on twitter.com/USPS and like us at facebook.com/USPS. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and usps.com/postalfacts.