SEBASTOPOL, CA — In a world of constant driver distractions Sebastopol Letter Carrier Jeanie Mongaraz-Fletcher maintained her focus on the safety of herself and others on the road over the course of her 35-year postal career.
This focus on safety earned her entry into the elite National Safety Council’s Million Mile club.
She will be honored on Wednesday, January 22, 8:30 a.m. at the Sebastopol Post Office, 275 Petaluma Avenue., Sebastopol, CA 95472.
The secret to staying accident-free starts with staying observant, “Sonoma County is beautiful in both landscape and wildlife- a true tourist destination. I’ve found it an especially good practice here, to take that second, or even third look both ways when pulling into traffic or changing direction. It gives you a chance to see things that were not visible a moment before- a cyclist, a car without its lights on or a band of turkeys that suddenly needed to cross the road,” said Mongaraz-Fletcher
This is the mindset you’d expect from a Postal Service mail carrier who has 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.
“Safety is not just a buzz word, our postal drivers take safety very seriously,” said Acting District Manager Aron Jones “I am proud of the dedication made by carriers like Mongaraz-Fletcher who are driven to perform their jobs safely and with concern for the safety of others.”
The Million Mile Award, a joint effort of the NSC and USPS, recognizes drivers with 1 million miles of driving or 30 accumulated years driven without preventable incidents. It is a trademark of an expert driver and is recognized as the nation’s highest award for professional safe driving. Recipients receive a plaque with the Million Mile Club emblem, the NSC logo and an engraved personalized nameplate.
More important, every Million Mile Award recipient has also earned the respect and appreciation of their fellow USPS employees and the communities they serve.
USPS drivers operate more than 246,000 vehicles throughout the country as the world’s largest civilian fleet. They face hazardous road conditions, gridlock, uneven terrain and inattentive drivers seven days a week.