With school out for the summer and thousands of children homeduring the day, Brookhaven Postmaster Keith Rushing is urgingLincoln County residents to keep an eye on their young ones whenthe mail runs.

Rushing said the post office releases a safety reminder everysummer, warning parents of the danger of injury when childrenapproach the mailman, eager to bring the mail to their parents andgrandparents. He said that while the office’s 17 carriersappreciate and enjoy greeting the children on the 10 rural andseven city routes, those children should wait until the mailcarrier has come and gone before retrieving the day’s mail.

“We just want the parents to know the safety hazards of kidscoming up to the vehicles and asking for the mail,” he said. “Wedon’t want them doing that because of safety reason – the vehiclesthe carriers drive have a lot of blind spots. Once the mailmangoes, then they can get the mail.”

Rushing recommends parents and grandparents discuss thefollowing potentially dangerous situations that children sometimesget into when the mailman arrives:

* Danger of running toward a moving mail vehicle. Wait at a safedistance until it stops.

* Removing mail from the box before vehicle leaves. Again, waitat a safe distance.

* Riding bicycles too close to a vehicle, moving or still.

* Standing in front of the mailbox as carrier approaches. Onceagain, safe distance.

* Standing in front of or behind the stopped carrier’svehicle.

* “Hitching” to a vehicle from skateboard, bicycle, etc.

* Leaving toys in front of the mailbox.

* Playing between parked cars.

* Climbing onto a stopped mail vehicle.

* Crossing the street to mailbox without double-checkingtraffic.

Rushing also suggests that children be reminded not to tamperwith the mailbox or mail of others. Doing so is a federal offense,he said.

Mail carriers also take precautions to ensure safety on theroutes, Rushing said.

Carriers are instructed to never back up their vehicles, hesaid. If a carrier misses a stop, the protocol is to pull theemergency break, turn off the ignition and walk back to thebox.

“Accidents the postal service would be subject to would bemostly avoidable accidents,” Rushing said.

Rushing said there have been no accidents involving the postalservice in Brookhaven, but accidents have happened elsewhere.

“This is a nationwide thing, it’s not just Brookhaven,” he said.”We (issue the warning) every year, just to let the kids know.”