Million miles of road duty

MEREDITH, NEW HAMPSHIRE — Thirty years of driving without an accident is an achievement that earned Meredith Rural Mail Carrier Paul DeFranc membership in the exclusive Million Mile Club. The honor, the highest safety award of its kind, is given by the National Safety Council to drivers who log one million miles or thirty years without a preventable accident. At a ceremony recognizing Paul’s driving record and thirty years with the U.S. Postal Service, Richard Tilton, the Manager of Post Office Operations, applauded the “proven skills of avoiding traffic accidents that earned him a place among an elite group of professional drivers, as recognized by the Safety Council.”

Meredith Postmaster Richard Fleming added that “Looking at a mountain and climbing a mountain are two different things; Paul has figuratively climbed that mountain one mile at a time.” For his part, Paul said, “Being a pro-active driver, aware of your surroundings at all times, is the key to safe driving.”