SAN LEANDRO, CA — Driving can be a challenging task on its own, let alone driving one million miles without so much as a fender-bender. But that’s what nine San Leandro Post Office mail carriers did, and they will be honored on Thursday, November 7, 2019, at 8:00 a.m., 1777 Abram Court, San Leandro, CA 94577.

Alejandro Wilkins, Charles Harris, Celia Jasso, Loreto Garcia, Mario Sandoval, Charles Torre, Judy Sandoval, Jagjit Sidhu and Deborah Pulido, with a combined 329 years of postal driving, will be inducted into the National Safety Council “Million Mile Club.”

According to Harris, it is all about defensive driving. “Always anticipate what the other driver might or might not do.” Pulido attribute her safety record to the constant emphasis on safety talks at the office.

“Accidents happen when you’re in a hurry,” said Wilkins. “You must constantly be aware of your surroundings.”

Being a professional, believing in safety first, doing the right thing and being conscience of other drivers are all good rules of the road that they follow.

How far is a million miles? Being that it takes close to 25,000 miles to travel around the earth, they each drove the equivalent of 40 times around it without a moving violation or accident, all while maneuvering hazardous road conditions, gridlock, rural terrain, and avoiding careless drivers along the way.

“Our postal drivers keep safety directly in front of them,” said Bay-Valley District Manager Darrel Stoke. “The truly remarkable achievement by our 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.”

Nationally, postal drivers log more than 1.5 billion miles annually while delivering to more than 159 million homes and businesses in every city, suburb and town in America as they make the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

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.

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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