My name is Christian Santiago and I’m a driving safety instructor for the Postal Service in Queens, NY. I teach other employees how to safely drive USPS delivery vehicles.
Growing up in Queens, I learned everything about driving — including how to drive a stick shift. I enjoy learning. What I like about teaching is I get to pass along my own knowledge and experience. What I learned got me far, and now I help others do the same.
I come from a teaching background. I previously taught school bus drivers before joining USPS as a tractor-trailer operator. I then became a driving safety instructor — a job I’ve had for more than a decade.
The main challenge is breaking bad driving habits. Tailgating is a problem. So is rolling through stop signs. These behaviors don’t reflect the Postal Service’s safety standards, and we use repetition to break these habits.
We go over safety repeatedly. This method of repetition — constantly repeating best practices — has reduced accidents in our district. I take pride in that.
When I’m not working, I love to take my kid to baseball games. I get in trouble living in Queens, though, because I’m a New York Yankees fan.
“On the Job,” a column on individual employees and their contributions to the Postal Service, appears regularly in Link.
