WATERBURY, CT — Waterbury Motor Vehicle Driver James Chicano has 35 years of service with the U.S. Postal Service and not a ding on his driving record.

With over 30-years of accident-free driving, Chicano was recently inducted into the prestigious Million Mile Club.

The Million Mile Club is a joint effort between the Postal Service and the National Safety Council to highlight individuals who deliver on safety every day.

The Million Mile Award is awarded to letter carriers, rural carriers and truck drivers, who have driven one million miles or 30 years or more without a preventable incident. They receive a plaque which bears the Million Mile Club emblem, the NSC logo and an engraved personalized nameplate.

“The one tip I would give a new driver is leave enough room between vehicles. Don’t tailgate. You can make decisions if you have the time to. Leave yourself enough room to react. If it’s foggy, go slower. Even on a road that is dark in the morning. I am anticipating a deer jumping out of the woods You have to be aware of any situation,” said Chicano.

Background
The Postal Service has the world’s largest civilian fleet of vehicles topping at an impressive 232,000. These vehicles link the nation’s 31,000 plus Post Offices and are driven by more than 341,000 letter carriers and truck drivers. The Postal Service logs more than 1.2 billion miles annually delivering to America’s 148.6 million residences and 12.8 million businesses – 6 days a week. 

Driving a million miles safely is commendable. To add perspective, the moon is 238,900 miles from planet earth. Driving one million miles is the equivalent of doing that journey more than four times.

According to the National Safety Council, more than 30,000 Postal Service employees have achieved a distinction most people never approach in their lifetimes – driving more than a million accident-free miles. No other business comes close.

Safe Driving Habits Start with Good Training

Driving for the Postal Service is a privilege. All drivers must demonstrate safe-driving practices throughout their careers. Behind-the-wheel job candidates undergo a rigorous screening, training, and certification process to earn credentials to operate a right-hand drive postal vehicle.

Information on the National Safety Council’s Safe Driver Program is located at www.nsc.org/usps. Questions can be directed to the National Safety Council Customer Relations at 1-800-621-7619 or uspsawards@nsc.org.

The Postal Service generally 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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