Upstate New York — As carriers prepare to deliver Valentine cards on Friday, they once again ask postal customers to provide a valentine at the mailbox:  A clear path for delivery.

While cleanup after a serious storm can take days, letter carriers are often on the streets even as the snow is falling.  According to postal officials, preventing a slip or bad fall can be as easy as putting down salt or sand on slippery surfaces.

Letter carriers cannot make door or curb deliveries when the approach to the mailbox is hazardous because of snow or ice. Carriers are not allowed to attempt door delivery when there is a heavy buildup of snow and ice on sidewalks, steps or porches.

Ice is particularly dangerous on steps and any walking surface, especially painted wood or concrete, such as stoops and porches. When there’s a warm spell, and the melting snow runs or pools, a quick freeze can make a cleared sidewalk or driveway even slicker.  That’s why sand or salt is recommended even after a storm is over. 

Residences with mail delivery along the side of the road need to keep the mailbox in mind when clearing driveways and entrances Snow should be cleared to the curb for at least six feet on both sides of the mailbox so the carrier may approach and leave without backing up or exiting a vehicle.

Customers should be aware that there is always the possibility of liabilities and lawsuits by any individual, including letter carriers, due to injuries suffered on uncleared paths.  Officials also remind postal customers to watch for neighbors who are clearing mailboxes or collecting their mail as drifts or snow piles may limit visibility when driving.

# # #

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at http://about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.

For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to http://about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation: 152 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With more than 31,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private-sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 42nd in the 2012 Fortune 500. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for seven years and the fourth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

Follow the Postal Service on twitter.com/USPS and at facebook.com/USPS.