NEW HAVEN, CT — They may not have logged as many hours as Santa’s sleigh, and they aren’t astronauts, but together, they do represent a trip to Mercury, a planet that is an average of 44 million miles away. Who are they?

They are forty-four New Haven Letter Carriers who will be inducted into the prestigious National Safety Council’s “Million Mile Club” for thirty years or more of accident free driving on the job. They will receive the Million Mile Club plaque in a special ceremony at the New Haven Post Office at 8:30 a.m. in the Benjamin Franklin Room of the New Haven Post Office, located at 50 Brewery Street in New Haven.

To qualify for the Million Mile distinction, a professional driver must have driven without a preventable motor vehicle accident for either 30 years or a million miles. Names of the recipients are attached.

The letter carriers work out of New Haven Post Office and serve New Haven and nearby communities that come under the jurisdiction of the New Haven Post Office.  They represent more than 15 centuries of federal service, with careers that individually span 30 to 47 years.

“I am so proud of my team, and these folks represent the best of the best. Some have been here for almost half a century and others for a lot less time. But together we work safely to get America’s mail home,” said New Haven Postmaster Andrea Dallas.

The recipients will receive a plaque and a pin during a presentation by David Mastroianni, District Manager of the US Postal Service’s Connecticut Valley District, which encompasses all postal facilities in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts (outside of the greater Boston area).

“The United States Postal Service takes great pride in its industry-leading record of safety on America’s roads.  When postal drivers qualify for membership in the exclusive Million Mile club, it sends a clear message to our customers that letter carriers and all postal drivers place safety first when traveling the streets of the communities they serve. I am proud of their accomplishments,” Mastroianni said.

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