Kris Elrod understands the importance of parking safely.
Elrod, a San Diego driving safety instructor, helps employees learn how to properly operate USPS vehicles. One of his key messages: Curb your wheels to prevent roll-away and runaway accidents.
“We should all be familiar with the requirements for dismounting a postal vehicle,” Elrod says.
Here are parking guidelines for employees:
• Put the vehicle in park and curb the wheels.
• If you park on an uphill slope, the wheels should be turned out and away from the curb. In all other circumstances — including a flat surface, a road with no curb or a downhill slope — turn the wheels inward.
• Set the handbrake.
• Turn off the vehicle and remove the keys.
“When parking your vehicle, remember the phrase, ‘Up and out, down and in,’” Elrod says.
Employees who want more information can go to the Safety Blue page to watch a Safety Depends on Me video on preventing roll-away and runaway accidents.
“Best practices,” a series on employees who demonstrate on-the-job excellence, appears regularly in Link.
