WALNUT CREEK, CA — Driving can be a challenging task on its own, let alone driving one million miles without so much as a fender-bender. Fourteen Walnut Creek Post Office mail carriers did just that, and they will be honored at 7:45 a.m. Thursday, January 30, 2020, at ., 2070 North Broadway Walnut Creek 94596.

Maria Ruvalcaba, Mark Long, Terrence Madden, Paul Skinner, Joseph Roldan, Dwayne Hunt, Sharon Reemes, Kimberly Quiroz, Cindy Crouse, Nancy Glenn, Kevin Ervin, Teresa Skinner, Anna Robards and Chester Wong will all be inducted into the National Safety Council “Million Mile Club.”

Being vigilant to one’s surroundings is a safe-driving formula for all mail carriers, as Hunt states, “Always be aware of the drivers around you and be prepared for whatever actions they may take behind the wheel. Stay focused at all times.”

Safety is the priority, don’t rush and become distracted. “Always be safe and efficient and never rush,” said Ruvalcaba. The group agrees that safety never takes a day off, and the key to being accident-free is to work safely on a daily basis.

This is the mindset you’d expect from Postal Service mail carriers who have each driven the equivalent of circling the earth 40 times, all without a moving violation or accident, 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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