Post office workers awarded for accident-free driving
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, the average American drives 13,476 miles per year. Based on that information, it would take the average American just over 74 years to drive 1 million miles.
On June 19 at 8 a.m., the Williamstown Post Office honored three letter carriers who have driven 1 million miles without an accident. David Exler, Joy Melita and Michael Reed accomplished this feat.
The ceremony was put on by acting Postmaster Manny Patel, district manager James Drummer and supervisors Jim Bronsky and Stefanie Dashow. Reed, who was on vacation, was unable to attend the ceremony.
Exler, who’s been a carrier since 1988, discussed what safety means to him. “I try my best to be safe and I have been safe for 30 years,” he said. “Every day they have talks about safety, and at some point after so many years it becomes redundant to do the same practices every day. I hope that I, and all of us, continue to be safe.”
Melita, who’s been with the United States Postal Service since 1986, was very grateful to be honored. “It means a lot to be recognized because sometimes you aren’t always recognized,” she said. “You hear it over and over again at the morning meetings, it just becomes a habit.”
The National Safety Council partners with the USPS to reward drivers who are dedicated to putting safety first.
Most letter carriers work five to six days a week. To reach 1 million miles, a carrier would have to drive somewhere between 100 and 128 miles a day for at least 30 years.
“It can get boring, but it’s ingrained in your brain to curb your wheels, put your parking brake on, look left, look right, look left again. It’s become second nature,” Melita said.
