USPS Warns Carriers “Cannot Deliver Your Mail” Unless You Make These Changes
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While it’s nice to think that neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night could keep your postal carrier from getting your mail to you, that’s not an official standard the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) actually adheres to. Sure, USPS workers will try their best to get the job done by any means necessary. But that’s certainly not the case if their safety is at risk.
Winter weather can lend itself to a lot of potential hazards, and unfortunately, much of the U.S. has been hit by heavy snowfall—with more on the horizon. This has prompted the USPS to send out several warnings about how your mail delivery could be affected.
In a Jan. 16 local press release from Maryland, the agency assured customers that the simple presence of snow isn’t likely to prevent carriers from making their rounds. But, at the end of the day, “if [carriers] cannot reach your mailbox, they cannot deliver your mail,” David Guiney , Maryland’s district manager for the Postal Service, said in the a statement.
To prevent any delayed deliveries, postal officials are asking for the public’s help, according to another local press release from Connecticut. Read on to discover four changes you may need to make to ensure carriers can safely deliver you mail, even in snowy conditions.
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Wintry flakes are likely to accumulate on and around your mailbox, but it’s your responsibility to make sure it’s still accessible if you want your mail.
“Clear enough snow from curbside boxes to allow mail trucks to approach the box, deliver the mail and to drive away from the box without danger of the need for backing,” the USPS advised.
If you receive roadside delivery, you also need to make sure the area is free of any other obstacles, including trash cans and other vehicles.
“The carrier needs to get in, and then out, without leaving the vehicle or backing up,” the agency added.
RELATED: See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don’t Touch It, USPS Says .
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If you don’t have a roadside mailbox, carriers might deliver your mail to your front door instead. In this case, you also need to help create a safe path.
“Walkways should be cleared of snow and ice and allow enough traction to avoid slips, trips or falls,” the Postal Service explained.
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Have steps leading to your home? Those need to be maintained, too.
“Steps should also be kept clear of ice and snow and in good repair so as not to cause injury to the letter carriers or others who visit the customer’s home,” the USPS cautioned.
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Once you shovel your walkways, steps, and around your mailbox, don’t forget to look up.
“Overhangs should be clear and free of snow and ice to avoid injury,” the Postal Service noted.
- Source: U.S. Postal Service Asks for Assistance to Help Keep Letter Carriers Safe
- Source: USPS: Shoveling Today? Remember the Mailbox
See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don’t Touch It, USPS Says
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Your mailbox serves a very simple purpose: receiving mail and leaving outgoing mail for a carrier to pick up. Still, some of us enjoy sprucing up our mailboxes, adding personal flair, color, or even decals to help an otherwise standard mailbox stand out. But if you notice a paw print sticker on your mailbox that you didn’t add, don’t start peeling it off just yet—it’s likely part of a program run by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to help keep carriers safe. Read on to find out what these stickers mean and why you shouldn’t remove them.
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In 2023, more than 5,800 Postal Service workers were attacked by dogs while delivering mail, up from 5,300 in 2022, according to a USPS press release.
Larger cities had the highest numbers of attacks, with Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, St. Louis, and Cleveland claiming the top five spots.
“Even though a customer’s dog is friendly to most people, it can always have a bad day,” said letter carrier Tara Snyder . “I know, from experience, even when a dog is in the house, customers need to make sure their door is secure so their dog can’t push it open and bite the letter carrier.”
To her point, the USPS writes that “all dogs can bite, even those perceived as nonaggressive.” In fact, many of the attacks that letter carriers report are by dogs whose owners told them, “My dog won’t bite.”
Such an attack can result in consequences for the homeowner, too. According to data from the Insurance Information Institute, the average cost per insurance claim for a dog bite is $64,555, the USPS states.
“When a postal employee suffers an injury, the owner could be responsible for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs, and pain and suffering for the employee,” they explain.
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To combat dog bites, the Postal Service shared tips on how pet owners can “support safe mail delivery.” These include keeping dogs inside the house or behind a fence, away from the door or in another room, or on a leash.
“Pet owners also should remind children not to take mail directly from a letter carrier as the dog may view the carrier as a threat to the child,” they state.
Mail carriers also follow protocol to keep them aware of areas where dogs might be present, and they’re equipped with scanners to remind them of possible dog hazards, as well as dog warning cards that are added during mail sorting.
In 2020, the USPS added another preventive measure: the PAWS Program . First introduced in Pennsylvania, the program uses mailbox stickers to keep carriers safe.
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The PAWS Program uses color-coded stickers affixed to mailboxes to inform mail carriers about dogs in the area. An orange sticker with a black paw print tells carriers that there is a dog at this home, while a yellow sticker with a black paw print tells them there is a dog at the next house.
Citizens are informed ahead of time that the stickers may appear on their mailboxes. In a notice sent to Lakewood, Ohio, residents, the Postal Service wrote, “Carriers will soon be placing a paw sticker on mailboxes to indicate that a dog or dogs live in the area —yellow indicates dog nearby/orange indicates dog at residence. The sticker will act as a reminder to the carrier that they should proceed with caution, especially when delivering packages to the door.”
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Removing these stickers may do more harm than good, as your mail service can be halted if your carrier feels unsafe. Not only does this affect the home of the dog owner, but it also applies to the entire neighborhood, the USPS said in a previous press release . Service isn’t restored in these instances “until the aggressive dog is properly restrained.”
At the end of the day, these stickers are put in place to “reduce the risk of dog bites and attacks that occur while delivering mail,” which is just another reason you should leave the sticker on your mailbox.
“We all love our dogs,” Kimberly Tilley , acting postmaster for Winston-Salem, told WGHP. “We love our animals, but we … have to take responsibility to protect the carrier and the people around us as well from our animals.”
Tilley added that dog bites are more common than you think, and they can be traumatic for carriers. “Once a carrier has been bit, it sets some fear in them long term for the rest of their life,” she told the outlet.
However, although these stickers are strongly recommended, if you object to having a sticker placed on your mailbox, you can opt out , Kyle Stevens , Southwest Carrier Annex station manager in South Dakota, told KELO in 2021. To do so, the first step would be to contact your local post office.
This story has been updated to include additional entries, fact-checking, and copy-editing.
