(CHICAGO, IL) — United Parcel Service announced on Tuesday that 79 elite drivers from Illinois are among 1,575 newly inducted worldwide into the Circle of Honor, an honorary organization for UPS drivers who have achieved 25 or more years of accident-free driving.  Illinois boasts 488 active Circle of Honor drivers with a combined 13,931 years of accident-free driving. Ralph Lendi of Tinley Park is the state’s senior-most safe driver, with 45 years of accident-free driving under his belt. There are 3,983 total full-time UPS drivers in Illinois. The Atlanta-based company adds to its prestigious “Circle of Honor” each year to recognize our employees who have delivered packages for a quarter of a century without an accident. We wanted to make sure that you saw some of the Illinois natives who were lauded by our company for their outstanding driving records: Robert Furlong, Darrell Jackson and David Mattmiller of Centralia; and Jeffrey Schlau of Hoffman. They, along with 75 other elite drivers from Illinois are among 1,575 newly inducted drivers into the company’s elite organization.