To the editor:
The Postal Service asks for your help this winter in reducing the risk of injury to your regular letter carrier so he or she can continue to give you the best possible service. Maine’s letter carriers are some of the best in the business, but they still need the cooperation of homeowners this winter to help reduce the risk of painful weather-related injuries.
The Postal Service asks that steps and walkways be kept clear of snow and ice so that carriers can deliver or collect mail without having to leave their vehicles. They also need enough clearance to safely depart from those boxes.
During the winter months, many letter carriers deliver mail at or after dusk. Rural letter carriers often drive their own personal vehicles with roof signs identifying them as mail delivery vehicles and make frequent stops at curbside mailboxes. The Postal Service asks that you be extra aware of letter carriers delivering mail in their personal vehicles alongside rural roads and on foot in urban neighborhoods after the sun has set.
Letter carriers in Maine drive over 33,000 square miles to bring service to their customers, and receive continuing safety training. They are taught to slow down when driving in the winter and to reduce speeds as road conditions worsen. The Postal Service urges fellow motorists in Maine to do the same.
The Postal Service thanks you for your cooperation in helping to keep the state’s letter carriers safe from harm this winter, and wishes you and yours a safe, healthy holiday.
Renee Albert,
Acting district manager
