Pembroke Pines FL — Franklin, the Postal Service eagle, and Benny, his sidekick feathered friend, are making their appointed rounds reminding young children to stay away from mail delivery vehicles.

The 30-second Public Service Announcement features fast-paced humorous action to help children and parents understand how important it is to always “stay away from the truck.” It’s part of a child awareness safety campaign from the Postal Service, the National Association of Letter Carriers, and the National Rural Letter Carrier’s Association. The campaign debuted last summer to help prevent potential injuries when children get too close to delivery vehicles.

Letter carriers always are on the lookout for kids, pets, and other vehicles on their delivery routes. It’s important that parents and other adults teach children about staying safe — especially when the mail truck is in the neighborhood. Don’t play ball in the street. Don’t play hide-n-seek around (and behind) the mail truck. It’s dangerous — and can be deadly!

The Postal Service strongly recommends that children stay clear of residential mailboxes and wait at a safe distance in their yard until the mail truck is out of sight. Then, and only then, should children retrieve the mail.

“We all look forward to the arrival of the mail, and sometimes there’s even a competition about who gets the honor of taking the day’s letters to Mom or Dad,” said Enrique Suarez, Acting District Manager in the Postal Service’s South Florida District.

# # #

A short safety clip, “Franklin and Benny: Stay Away from the Truck” is available for download at http://blue.usps.gov/pac/uspstv/vodlist.htm. Frame enlargements from this short are attached and are cleared for reproduction.

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

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.