Or does it make any difference? ?????ÿ
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9712217/Homeowner-fortified-mailbox-concrete-vandalism-sued-paralyzed-driver.html
- Cletus.?ÿ Change your name.
- Cletus, were you wearing your seat belt?
- Cletus, the damage indicates maybe you were driving faster than conditions warranted.
- You owe mr so and so a postoffice box.
- Crappy lawyers make this possible.
Number 1 should read "How much money does the mailbox owner have?"
The US Post Office has standards for the location and height of a roadside mailbox that would require it to be in the R.O.W. It seems likely this one met the location standard if it had been in use for a while.?ÿ They can't argue that it sholdn't have been there.?ÿ
Some jurisdictions may have frangibility standards. That is the only issue I see. For example (with crash videos):
The mailbox should not be put in such that it becomes a fixed object and the box should be properly attached to post so that it does not fly away when struck.
Found this on usps.com
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https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2007/html/pb22206/mailboxkit.4.6.html
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has deter??mined that wooden mailbox supports no larger than 4 inches by 4 inches, or a 2-inch diameter standard steel or aluminum pipe, buried no more than 24 inches, should safely break away if struck by a vehicle. According to FHWA, the mailbox must also be securely attached to its post to prevent separation if struck.
Cletus, were you the one vandalizing the mailbox before????
All joking aside, we had some serious mailbox incidents in my neighborhood a number of years ago. Some 21 year-old man purposely mowed down a mailbox, which was made of concrete block covered by painted stucco with a little roof over the top of it. The decor matched the house. The authorities tracked him down because his license plate fell off, but he kept on driving. The thing that gets my goat is that the county refused to prosecute him. A sad reflection of our lax society.
After doing some research on the subject at the time, I discovered that very few such cases are prosecuted in our country. The fine is up to $5,000 or 5 years in prison, if I remember correctly. One homeowner I read about got creative and found a big truck spring, which he attached to the base of his mailbox post. He would not be responsible for creating an immovable mailbox post. My past inclination to place sharpened rebar at grass blade level would not do well in court.
In Wisconsin, there was a mailbox, on a pole. Maybe 15' long. On a long vertical post, (post was 15' back from road). It had a cable, supporting it. The guy got tired of the county grader plowing out his box, in the winter, and built the rig so it could swing out of harm's way, and back into position. Kinda cool. It was someplace in western Wis. Near Grantsburg.
Cool.
N
Here is a neat one!
That is something that I have wondered about from time to time.?ÿ I have seen plenty of styles where a direct hit, especially with one of today's mini-vehicles, could be deadly.?ÿ Also, many of today's McMansion subdivisions have grand entries constructed of a few tons of concrete and iron and boulders.
A fellow my sister dated in high school worked at a machine shop/auto parts store.?ÿ Their mailbox had been knocked over several times and he got tired of having to replace it.?ÿ He got the crankshaft and flywheel out of a D9 bulldozer and buried the flywheel with the crankshaft sticking up and the mailbox attached.?ÿ It got a few paint marks on it but wasn't knocked over again.
Andy
I'm working on a survey right now to determine the location of a retaining wall with respect to a private road easement.?ÿ The guy's neighbor ran into it and totaled his truck.
It's a messy situation that's been going on for a couple of years, with restraining orders going both ways.?ÿ When I was locating the edge of pavement the day before yesterday the neighbor drove out of his driveway, went down the road out of sight, then turned around and came back.?ÿ Ken -- my client's client (I'm working for an insurance company) -- was standing near me, saw the guy coming back, and told me to watch out.?ÿ I stepped off onto the shoulder, and the guy went past on the wrong side of the road with his tires right on the EP where I had been standing.?ÿ Ken called the sheriff to report it as a hostile action (it's not the first time the sheriff has been called out there), so I got to spend some time talking with a deputy.
That's not all that uncommon in the NE
Also pretty common is the sheet of wood next to a mailbox.?ÿ Both are done for snow plows, not necessarily for vandalism prevention.
We have several similar ones in Juneau and the rest of SE Alaska
Garden sprayer with ammonia, and water. I've been wanting to make one, for many purposes. Dogs that chase cars. For one.
Nate
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