Bill on Reporting Mail Traffic Deaths Passes Committee

Legislation requiring USPS and its contractors to report crash data has cleared an important legislative hurdle.  

The Mail Traffic Deaths Report Act, introduced March 5 by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), was unanimously approved 40-0 by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability on March 7.  

The legislation would oblige the Postal Service to officially implement a policy instructing all employees and contractors to report traffic crashes occurring while on the job that result in injury or death. The agency must then make those reports public in an online database. 

As written, the legislation mandates the disclosure “not later than three days after” the crash. While the measure enjoys some bipartisan support — with Rep. James Comer (R-Ken.) signing on as a co-sponsor — its path to a full House vote remains uncertain. 

Last year, Connolly asked the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) to study the safety controls and oversight that the Postal Service has on its contractors. The report, released Feb. 27, showed that USPS does not have a written policy regarding accident tracking, with the OIG recommending that one be implemented.