Phoenix ranks 17 for dog attacks on postal workers despite drop from 2016
Apr 6, 2018, 2:27 PM
(AP Photo/Amanda Lee Myers)
PHOENIX — Data released Thursday showed that 24 postal service workers in Phoenix were bitten by a dog last year, a decline from 35 in 2016.
The statistics, released by the U.S. Postal Service, said there were a total 6,244 dog attacks on postal workers in 2017, a drop from the year before.
Phoenix tied with Sacramento and Portland for the 17th highest number of dog attacks in the country.
“The totals are still too high, but we’re confident that with continuing education and dog bite prevention training, along with advancing technology, we can keep more people safe and keep attacks trending downward,” said Linda DeCarlo, USPS safety director in San Diego.
The Postal Service was developing enhanced safety measures that would ask customers to indicate if a dog is at the delivery address. The information would then be relayed to the workers and would also send alerts if an unleashed dog was reported in the area.
According to the Center for Disease Control, there are about 4.5 million Americans bitten by dogs annually, many of which require immediate medical attention. Young children 5 to 9 years old are the most likely to be bitten.
In 2017, State Farm insurance paid more than $132 million as a result of 3,618 dog-injury related claims. The average cost paid per claim was $36,573.