It’s not easy to avoid accidents on the roads today, but UPS says 9,349 of its drivers have steered clear of any avoidable accidents through 25 years of driving for the company.
Sandy Springs-based UPS said it just added 1,575 drivers to its “Circle of Honor” for 25 years of safe driving, including 42 “elite drivers” from Georgia.
The company calls its 102,000 drivers, including 2,195 full-time drivers in Georgia, “among the safest on the roads.” A total of 384 UPS drivers in Georgia have reached 25 years of safe driving.
In Georgia, Felton Lee McCant Jr. in Moultrie has had the most years of driving for UPS without an avoidable accident -- 42 years.
Throughout the company, the longest-running stretch of safe driving belongs to package car driver Tom Camp in Livonia, Mich., who has driven for 54 years without an avoidable accident.
“At a time when far too many crashes are the result of distractions and unsafe driving,” said National Safety Council CEO Debbie Hersman in a written statement, the Circle of Honor drivers “a great example for all of us.”
Of the more than 9,000 UPS drivers with 25 years of no avoidable accidents, 206 are women, according to the company.
The shipping giant starts its drivers with rigorous safety training before they ever take the wheel of a brown truck to make a delivery.
Among the lessons: Keep your eyes moving. “Scan, don’t stare. Constantly shift your eyes while driving” to keep up with changing traffic conditions.
And: Leave yourself an out. “Be prepared. Surround your vehicle with space in front and at least one side to escape conflict.”
Volunteers from UPS also teach safe driving methods to teenagers through the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, through a program called UPS Road Code.