By JESSA LEWIS
6 News Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) - Mail carriers in the Knoxville area are being hit by other vehicles more frequently than in the past.
The effect isn't just two damaged vehicles. It can also mean injuries that could keep a postal employee out of work from months.
"It seems more prevalent recently. Last year, fiscal year, 1 October for us, Knoxville had 48 vehicle accidents. This year since 1 October, we've already had 16," said Concord-Farragut USPS branch manager David Lynn.
Six of those accidents involved trucks from the Concord-Farragut office. In five of those instances, the truck was stopped with lights flashing while at a mailbox.
"When they see a postal vehicle, especially when it has the lights flashing, they're either stopped or getting ready to stop, so please be careful. Watch for postal vehicles. Use caution and just avoid it," Lynn said.
Postal officials say they can't pinpoint with certainty why the numbers are on the rise, but they suspect distracted driving.
"Whether it's modern technology and texting and things, it's hard to say for sure, people talking on cell phones things such as that. It's a probability, but not real facts to support that," Lynn said.
There are more than 300 mail carriers on the road in Knoxville every day.
The Postal Service has seen an up tick in accidents around Knoxville (Courtesy: USPS)
