OAKLAND, CA — Many California drivers take to the road without a thought about safety. Not so for eight Oakland Civic Center letter carriers. Safety is the first thing on their minds before they leave the Post Office on their appointed rounds. To them it’s more than a matter of luck; they will be the first to tell you it’s a matter of focus, defensive driving, and paying attention, especially to distracted drivers.  

On Thursday, February 28, 2019, at 8:00 a.m., at the Civic Center Post Office, 201 13th St., Oakland, CA 94612, this select group of carriers will be inducted into the National Safety Council “Million Mile Club.” Receiving their membership into the prestigious club will be Mel Banagan, Gregory Ellington, Humphrey Gee, Sullivan Smothers, Charles McDaniels Jr., Richard Davis, Margaret Patrick and Jeffrey Shipp.

Driving safely is a matter of mind set according to Gregory Ellington , “Eat, sleep and think safety all day,” and Jeffrey Shipp who says you must “Think safe, practice safe, act safe and be safe;” and Humphrey Gee who believes, “Safety is a state of mind; think safe, be safe.”

Imagine driving the equivalent of 334 times across the country or 40 times around the earth without ever leaving the city limits and not so much as a fender bender. The achievement is even more remarkable when you factor in the hazardous road conditions, gridlock, rural terrain, and the constant alertness for careless drivers along the way.

“Our postal drivers are among the safest in the world,” said Bay-Valley District Manager Robert Reynosa. “The truly remarkable achievement by our Oakland Civic Center mail carriers demonstrates how postal employees continue to deliver on the promise of delivering their best every day with care, courtesy and concern for the safety of others.”

Each driver 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 single preventable motor vehicle accident, a truly remarkable achievement according to the National Safety Council.

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

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