ORLANDO, Fla. -Rural mail carriers driving their personal vehicles without a seat belt while delivering the mail are violating Florida’s seat belt law.
Sgt. Kim Montes, an 18-year-veteran of the Florida Highway Patrol, says the agency’s legal department reviewed the unorthodox style of mail delivery and found mail carriers are not exempt in either Florida or Federal statutes from wearing a seat belt while “performing their duties.”
The review was prompted by a three week investigation by Local 6.
via FHP: Rural mail carriers violating Florida’s seat belt law | News – Home.
Most state laws about seat belts have a clause allowing mail carriers exemption from wearing seat belts while delivering. I can’t speak for Florida, but given what an ass-backwards state it is I would suspect they don’t have the exemption.
I see I’m not the first to see this is the case.
ISW—did not see your post when I started mine–so Fl does have laws governing this. some one needs to bring this to the attention of the news people reporting this & see what they have to say about that. People are always looking for something to jump on & not having the facts!! Thanks for letting me rant!! LOL
I am from Ga & I know Ga has laws concerning this. Since fl does not I do not know why since paper carriers are exempt–rural carriers also delivers papers so? In Ga rural carriers are required to deliver only on the right side of the road as it is traveled. I see paper carriers pulling across the road in the line of travel of oncoming vehicles to serve boxes. it would appear to me that that would be more dangerous than a rural carrier driving on the right side of the road to deliver. Crossing over into the left lane of oncoming trafficto deliver mail is against Postal rules. The law needs to be changed in Fl to go along with other states. There would be no way for a carrier to meet their standards & get back off the route if they had to unfasted & then refasten their seat belt each time they move from box to box. Try using your car-put mail in the back of the box to pick up & have change in there for stamps to be picked up & see what the problem is. There needs to be some leancy for the carriers. Been there & done that. Bought a right hand drive for the route To comply with the rules & make it easier to deliver!!
Rural route carriers are exempted from wearing seatbelts while delivering mail by Florida State Uniform Traffic code Chaper 316.614 (6) (a) …
Give me a break….slow news day? If it is legal for newspaper carriers why isn’t it for mail carriers …..
they want to get rid of carriers, with 36 years getting fired for no seat belt and TE smashing three vehicles and become a supervisor whats that picture