Shell Offers Tips to Prevent Accidents, Save Lives

America's Drivers Can 'Count on Shell' for Information on Weathering the Worst

    HOUSTON, March 5 Approximately 5,000 deaths and 500,000
injuries in the United States resulted from automobile crashes attributed to
inclement weather in 1999, reports the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA).  Many -- even most -- of those accidents could have
been avoided if drivers knew and followed some basic safe driving practices.

    In an effort to help improve driving safety, Shell Oil Company today
launched the seventh installment of its multi-media Count on Shell campaign.

    The campaign focuses on "Foul Weather Driving" and is supported with a
captivating television commercial, magazine ads and free booklets (available
at your local Shell station) that provide valuable information to help drivers
learn how to adjust their driving for inclement weather conditions.  Among the
potentially life-saving tips:

    * Posted speed limits are for "ideal" weather and maximum visibility.  It
      can take twice the usual distance to stop your vehicle when the pavement
      is even slightly wet.

    * When driving in the rain, stay in the middle lanes.  Water tends to pool
      in outside lanes.

    * Reduced visibility is not the only effect of fog.  It can make roads
      slick, so when driving in fog, adjust your speed, avoid over-steering
      and brake smoothly.

    "Information can save lives, and we hope the safety information in the
Count on Shell campaign will do just that," said Susan Borches, Shell Oil
Company's vice president of corporate affairs.  "By seeing Shell's television
commercial or reading the safety tip booklet available at Shell stations,
drivers will know more about how to avoid the dangers of driving in inclement
weather."

    Shell's new television commercial illustrates the importance of breaking
properly in severe weather conditions.  Campaign print ads will appear in
magazines including Business Week, Fast Company, Forbes, Fortune, Newsweek,
People, Sports Illustrated and Time, as well as in newspapers including The
New York Times and USA Today.