County and township residents may have their roadside mailboxes removed if the boxes pose a real danger to passing traffic, the Douglas County Commission and county staff said Wednesday.

To decide whether a mailbox is dangerous to passing vehicles along county and township roads, the county will examine three factors: road conditions, speed limit and construction of the mailbox.

The commissioners asked county Public Works Director Keith Browning and the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee to write the policy, which would be put into place if a new resolution passes at a future commission meeting.

If the resolution passes, commissioners on Wednesday said the policy would, for the most part, affect future mailbox construction.

Existing mailboxes most likely affected would include monument-style masonry mailboxes and those close to sharp turns on rural routes.