Targeting Your Mailbox

Many rural mailbox owners find themselves victims of what many perceive as legal vandalism. All too often, snowplow drivers miscalculate and smack a mailbox right off its post. Angry homeowners have little recourse because most municipalities will not pay for the damage. State and local governments feel that mailboxes are in the right-of-way of the road consequently they accept no liability. That´s an interesting argument considering the point of view of the postal service. Regulations state that a curbside mailbox must be accessible to the mail carrier from inside the vehicle. In essence, the government says, put your mailbox in the right of way, but we are not liable when a government vehicle or contractor hits it. Here we have another fine example of one branch of government´s policy directly conflicting with another. Fortunately there is no shortage of innovative people out there looking for a better system. A company in Maine may have a better mousetrap. MainelyMetals has a mailbox and post, which swings out of the way and resets so the mail carrier can still get to the mailbox. They can also be seen here.

It´s important to note that we should be fair to the snowplow drivers. After all, they are out in the worst possible conditions, usually at night while attempting to keep traffic flowing for the rest of us. Operating a large plow while keeping just the right distance from every single mailbox must be a difficult task indeed. Of course if your mailbox is the only one flattened on an entire street, it´s easy to feel picked on. Perhaps every one of us should be required to plow for a day. How many of our neighbors would shake their fist in anger as we role a huge pile of hard packed snow right back into their driveway or bury their mailbox? All that snow has to go somewhere. No doubt the experience would raise our level of respect for the plow driver.

For those who have never been blessed with the experience, replacing a mailbox in the dead of winter can be a real effort in futility. This is especially true if the post is damaged or broken, particularly in Northern climates. Trying to dig a hole in frozen ground can be a real workout. It´s a shame those good old fashion milk cans are no longer made. They make a perfect mailbox post base, at least in a pinch. Today the five-gallon plastic pail with concrete is the popular choice.

Another alternative is renting a PO Box, however annual fees are getting outrageous. The postal service would love to rent more PO boxes because doing so lowers their operating costs. Every delivery they can make inside their own building saves them money by not paying carriers. Next to a safety deposit box, post office boxes are the most expensive piece of real estate out there. Then there is the added cost of commuting the to Post Office several times a week to get your mail, but only while they are open. Who knows, as more and more people start paying bills online, perhaps mailboxes will become obsolete? It makes one wonder, what will happen to all that junk mail?