Bell Atlantic Mobile: "Think Safety with Your Wireless Phone"

Bell Atlantic Mobile: "Think Safety with Your Wireless Phone"

National Wireless Safety Week, May 23 -- May 29

May 19, 1999

BEDMINSTER, NJ -- A wireless phone can be a lifesaver --
literally. This Memorial Day weekend, many of the nation's 70 million
wireless phone users will hit the roads, beaches, and parks, relying on their
wireless phones for safety communications. So it's no accident that
National Wireless Safety Week begins May 23, leading into the high-
travel summer season.

In recognition of Wireless Safety Week, Bell Atlantic Mobile [and local
police, safety organization if possible] offer(s) a few year-round tips for
using wireless phones both safely, and for safety.

Driving Safely with Your Wireless Phone

• When behind the wheel, safe driving is always your first
  responsibility.

• Whenever possible, pull off the road before dialing.

• Be familiar with the phone's re-dial feature and key buttons like
  "SEND," "END."

• Pre-program important and frequently-dialed numbers, such as
  home, the babysitter, and 9-1-1.

• Never take notes or write down phone numbers while driving.
  Rather, pull off the road to a safe spot or leave yourself a
  message on your voice mail system.

• Know your wireless phone number so emergency personnel
  can call you back. You may want to write it down and keep it in your car for
  quick reference.

Wireless Phones as a Personal Safety Net

• Always carry it as a safety net to report highway accidents, or
  when you're lost or broken down, or to call for first aid.

• Check and charge your battery regularly -- especially if your
  cell phone is reserved for emergency use. Consider a car
  adapter that can draw off the car's electrical system.

• As with all calls, when dialing 9-1-1 remember to press the
  SEND button for the call to go through.

• Make it part of your lifestyle:
  • Biking: Take it with you to call for first aid.

  • Babysitter Check-in: Parents can leave their wireless phone
    number with their baby-sitter, so they can enjoy an evening
    out or run errands and yet be easily reached.

  • Teenage Driver Check-in: Summertime is a busy driving
    time for new teenage drivers. Parents will worry less when
    their teenage drivers have a wireless phone with them so
    they can check-in when they arrive at their destination.

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In the New York, Boston, Washington/Baltimore and Pittsburgh markets,
Bell Atlantic Mobile was named leader in overall customer satisfaction
among wireless users, according to the prestigious J.D. Power and
Associates 1998 U.S. Wireless Customer Satisfaction Study^sm.

Bell Atlantic Mobile owns and operates the largest wireless network in the
East, covering 120,000 square miles, and the largest chain of retail outlets
devoted exclusively to wireless voice, data and paging. Based in
Bedminster, NJ, Bell Atlantic Mobile has 6.4 million customers and 8,000
employees from Maine to Georgia and, through a separate subsidiary, in
the Southwest. Through its "Wireless at Work..." community
service program, the company uses its technology to help individuals and
communities improve security and emergency communications. Bell
Atlantic Mobile's parent, Bell Atlantic Corporation (NYSE:BEL) is one of
the world's largest wireless communications companies, with domestic
operations in 25 states and international investments in Mexico, Europe
and the Pacific Rim. For more information on Bell Atlantic Mobile visit:
www.bam.com; on global operations visit:
www.bellatlantic.com/worldwide.