School’s out – time to be on the lookout for children
With more children on the roads and sidewalks now that schools are closed for the summer, there’s a greater risk of motor vehicle accidents involving children. The U.S. Postal Service is encouraging everyone to be more alert for youngsters playing on streets, in parking lots, and even in their own driveways.
Here are some tips:
— If there’s a ball rolling in the street, there’s likely to be a child following. Slow down and be prepared to stop quickly.
— Pay attention to the lone child walking along the street. Drivers are more likely to overlook a single youngster than several together.
— Be aware of children on roller skates, skateboards or roller blades who often burst onto streets from alleys or driveways.
— Look out for bicyclists — especially young or new riders. Give them plenty of room.
Postal carriers are advised never to give mail to children from inside their vehicles. If children approach a vehicle, carriers are advised to get out and ask the children to move away. Before resuming delivery, carriers will double-check the entire area surrounding the vehicle.
Remember that children cannot judge speed or distance of vehicles moving toward them. They move quickly and can run into the street without warning. They don’t always follow safety rules and expect adults to watch out for them.
For more information about purchasing stamps, stamps by mail, postal regulations, a free subscription to USA Philatelic magazine, Post Office events, the location o the nearest postal store or contract unit, or for answers to your specific Postal Service questions, contact USPS at 1-800-275-8777, or visit www.usps.com. To schedule a presentation for your community, club or group on how the Postal Service brings the post Office to your home or office computer, call 239-573-9638.
Mr. Zip’s Tip: USPS is expanding customer access, with more than 100,000 locations to buy stamps or ship packages.
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fud its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $67 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.