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Originally Posted by glatt
Besides, when the typical home owner goes to install a new mailbox, they don't normally call "miss utility" or whetever the local underground utility finder is. That can be a very expensive mistake for everyone when they cut the wire by accident. When the wires are 30 feet overhead, it's a lot harder to mess with them.
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Buried wires are 2.5 feet deep. When does the typical homeowner dig 3 feet to install a mailbox? Furthermore, the homeowner always must call the utility where utility lines may exist. It does not take a genius to see the utility box on the street and the electric meter on the side of a house; then draw a line.
Buried wires are automatically located and for free. Furthermore, it takes far more than a shovel to pierce those wires. Covering material (ususally a few inches of sand or other protective materail) provides warning of those wires. In short it is difficult to harm buried wires.
When is the best time to have wires broken? When the weather is nice , OR when electricity is desperately needed everywhere, not available anywhere, and all wires need fixing at the same time.
Damage to buried wires tends to occur when it is not a problem and when it can most easily be repaired. The only reason we put wires overhead: its cheaper from a bean counter MBA perspective which only looks at today's costs. Analysis of infastruture looks at the real long term costs. It makes no sense to hang wires from poles in oceanside FL communities that will probably see a 120 MPH storm every 20+ years. A time span too long for most MBA thinkers.