Maine DOT Shows How To Save Your Mailbox From Destruction, But…

Granted, I'd like to think we're at the end of snow season, but we all know it's still second winter. We should be moving into false spring any time now. So, we're probably not quite done moving the white crap around. And, like myself, probably a bunch of you have already had an incident with your mailbox and the town plow.

I'm sure the DOT and town public works departments all over the state, are fielding all sorts of calls about destroyed mailboxes. At least I'm assuming they have, because they recently released and actual graphic comparing the height of  a typical city plow blade, and the suggested height of a mailbox. Check this out:

The USPS has their own suggestion of 41-45 inches for the height to best suit mail carriers. The DOT points out the decent difference between the two, and suggests there might be a "sweet spot" of 44-45 inches that can satisfy the mail person, and not get destroyed by a plow. But if you scope the graphic above, that's all on a best case scenario, as there's no snow in the graphic.

Only on the first storm or two of the year will this keep your mailbox safe. If yours is like mine currently is, it's buried in snow and ice. Pretty soon, something is gonna have to give. Either the ice, or my mailbox. And in these cases, Mother Nature usually wins. When compared to solid ice, my mailbox would not be considered the immovable force.

Pretty soon, enough stuff will be built up around mine, that the box is gonna look like a pimple on the snow bank. I mean, they suggest 44-45 inches, and there's gotta be almost that much snow right now. Pretty soon, the mail person will likely just start throwing the mail at my house.

All in all, it's a good idea to take whatever steps you can. But this won't solve all your problems. And you just might need a backup plan. Or, a new mailbox.