Mail trucks are such a normal part of most Kentucky residents’ routines that they hardly go noticed when on their everyday routes. This is usually the case, except when one of those trucks becomes involved in an accident with another vehicle. Most are unfamiliar with laws surrounding accidents with mail trucks; some argue that they are immune from traffic laws in totality while others look to a brighter future, where improved truck design could save lives altogether.
A 2013 article from USA Today focused on the debate surrounding responsibility in mail truck accidents, bringing to attention one lawyer who argued that the drivers of these trucks are immune from traffic regulations on the state and local levels. Despite the protest of many, the lawyer had attempted to waive over $700 in fees that occurred after various mail trucks ran red lights in school zones. However, according to the USPS Employee Safety Guide, employees must follow traffic regulations just like every other driver on the road.
The controversy over transport trucks and their liability in regards to wrecks ensues, but The New York Times covered another aspect of the matter: that of the reinvention of mail trucks. The Times acknowledged the antiquated state of most modern mail trucks, many of which continue to lack anti-lock brakes, airbags and other basic precautions. Yet at the time of the article’s publication in 2015, the United States Postal Service had announced other plans: to replace its outdated trucks with a new generation of vehicles. The USPS aims to equip these trucks with newer technologies, and, while they make no promises in reinventing the wheel in terms of accident prevention, they do claim that the newer trucks should make the roads safer for drivers themselves — which, in turn, is a step forward for roadways, indeed.