Reducing Distractions on the Road This Labor Day Weekend
30 August 2000
Reducing Distractions on the Road This Labor Day Weekend Auto Club and Verizon Wireless Ask Southern Californians
To Call Safely and Drive With Care
IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 30 This Labor Day weekend, Verizon
Wireless and the Automobile Club of Southern California would like to remind
all wireless phone users that when behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, their
first priority is to drive safely. This is especially important during times
of increased traffic, such as the Southland will experience this Labor Day
weekend.
Every day, Americans make nearly 100,000 calls to 9-1-1 and other
emergency numbers from their wireless phones -- that's more than 35 million a
year. Many of these calls are placed from phones in automobiles.
"Wireless phones promote personal and public safety when an automobile
breaks down, when a driver is lost in an unfamiliar area, when a driver spots
the operator of another vehicle driving unsafely, and when spotting accidents
or other potentially life-threatening incidents," said Mike Finley, regional
president, Verizon Wireless. "However, motorists always need to remember that
the ultimate goal of driving is to arrive safely at their destination.
Drivers who need to place a call should dial when the car is not in motion, or
consider using a hands-free device, a handset with voice-activated dialing, or
employ the memory dialing function on their phones to minimize the potential
for distraction."
"Also, drivers should be especially careful when changing radio stations,
eating or drinking, map-reading or engaging in other activities that can be
distracting," said Arline Dillman, traffic safety manager for the Automobile
Club of Southern California. "You can provide greater safety to other
drivers, and to the passengers in your own vehicle, by paying the proper
attention to the road."
To promote safer driving on Southern California freeways and streets this
weekend, the Auto Club and Verizon Wireless have developed the following set
of motorist guidelines:
-- When behind the wheel, safe driving is always your first
responsibility.
-- Dial your phone when your car is not in motion.
-- Always use hands-free when driving and talking; when you turn your
phone on, make sure your hands-free device is on and working.
-- Never take notes or write down phone numbers while driving. 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.
In addition, drivers should observe the following safety guidelines,
according to the Auto Club:
-- Minimize distractions and increase your awareness of the driving
environment. Avoid driving while applying makeup or shaving, eating
or drinking, reading, or arguing.
-- Keep your eyes moving and stay constantly aware of the activity around
and ahead of you.
-- Change your outlook. You're not fighting traffic, and traffic is not
fighting you. You are part of the driving environment. Learn to
accept things that can't be changed, such as the behavior of other
drivers, traffic volume and road repairs.
-- Never assume anything, such as that a car will stop at a stop sign.
Be aware of each situation and what you see and know, not what you
expect and hope.
-- Keep your car well maintained.
-- Think through options for avoiding potentially dangerous traffic
situations.
Brochures that include the tips above and describe safe driving
techniques, are available free of charge at Verizon Wireless stores throughout
Southern California. Verizon Wireless customers are encouraged to call the
Verizon Wireless Patrol by dialing *9 on their wireless phone to obtain phone
numbers to report road hazards, flooded roads and intersections, or traffic
delays.
Verizon Wireless took an industry-leading position earlier this year when
the company launched a series of business initiatives to make using wireless
phones in a car easier and ultimately safer. Specifically, these efforts were
aimed at increasing the availability, affordability and awareness of hands-
free technologies. Verizon Wireless retail stores carry the latest products,
services and technologies to make hands-free wireless calling available and
affordable. Across the country, the company is offering four universal
headsets, which work with most manufacturers' phones -- starting at $14.99.
Shipping is free to those who purchase hands-free accessories at
http://www.verizonwireless.com.
"We are requiring our handset suppliers not only to deliver phones with a
universal jack so that our customers have a wider variety of hands-free
options, but also, to produce wireless phones with voice-activated dialing and
two-way speakerphone capabilities within two years, so that users can dial
calls without pressing any buttons," said Finley.
