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Cingular Wireless Announces Safe Driving Milestones During Wireless Safety Week 100,000 Avis rental car drivers pledge to drive safely; 1.5 million new teen drivers educated on distracted driving in 2004 ATLANTA, May 26 /PRNewswire/ -- As the entire wireless industry supports Wireless Safety Week (May 24-28), Cingular Wireless is proud to announce major strides in wireless safety achieved by the company's award-winning Be Sensible program. "Cingular customers depend upon us not just for wireless products and services, but also for information about the safe use of wireless devices," said Steve Skinner, director of external affairs for Cingular Wireless. "Be Sensible is a program that educates Americans about driving distractions and encourages the safe use of wireless phones." Two Be Sensible initiatives in particular are helping make the roads safer for Wireless Safety Week and its culmination, the high-traffic Memorial Day Weekend. Be Sensible and Avis Rent A Car System, Inc.: Cingular and safety partner Avis Rent A Car System, Inc. are celebrating a major milestone in wireless safety. The two companies recently challenged car renters to review a list of safety tips and sign a pledge to Be Sensible. Nearly 100,000 Americans read the distracted driving tips and signed the Be Sensible pledge at participating Avis airport counters and online at http://www.avis.com/besensible . Participants received a complimentary headset from Cingular to assist with hands-free driving, plus a coupon for one free day of Avis Assist Navigation Global Positioning System (GPS), a safety service from Avis. The two companies have partnered on several additional Be Sensible safety initiatives including public service messages on airport buses, special events, and online promotions. Be Sensible Teen Driving So far in 2004, America's educators have tapped Cingular's Be Sensible teen driving curriculum to teach 1.5 million teens to identify and avoid driving distractions of all types. The Be Sensible teachers kit - including a nine-minute classroom video, an educator's guide, an in-class poster and suggested classroom activities -- advocates that novice drivers not use wireless phones at all while driving. Among wireless carriers, Cingular stands alone in advocating this important position. A grand total of 7.2 million teens have received the Be Sensible training since the program's inception in 2002. Senior education and safety administrators in eleven states (Maryland, Virginia, Maine, New York, Ohio, New Jersey, Kansas, Indiana, Alabama, Florida and Georgia) have embraced the kit and facilitated distribution to teachers in their states. Technical assistance for the Be Sensible teen driving program was provided by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association (ADTSEA), and the Driving School Association of the Americas (DSAA). Be Sensible Tips Cingular offers experienced drivers the following tips on safe driving: - Make driving safely your first priority. If making or receiving a call will be distracting in any way, you should wait until your trip is completed to use your cell phone. - Dial sensibly and keep your eyes on the road. Use speed dial or Voice Connect. Or, place your call before pulling into traffic. - Use a hands-free device when available. Be sure to attach it to your phone before hitting the road. - Don't take notes, look up phone numbers or text message while driving. - Suspend conversations during hazardous driving situations. - Don't engage in stressful or emotional conversations that may distract you from driving safely. In addition, car renters should consider the following: - Stay with us for a while -- The Avis lot offers a quiet retreat to familiarize yourself with car controls, configure your wireless phone and hands-free device and check voice mail. - There's no such thing as a free ride -- Have your passenger take calls, read maps and complement your driving skills. For a separate list of tips designed especially for teen drivers, visit us at http://www.be-sensible.com/ . About Cingular Wireless Cingular Wireless, a joint venture between SBC Communications (NYSE:SBC) and BellSouth (NYSE:BLS), serves more than 25 million voice and data customers across the United States. A leader in mobile voice and data communications, Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover(SM), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Cingular has launched the world's first commercial deployment of wireless services using Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology. Cingular provides cellular/PCS service in 43 of the top 50 markets nationwide, and provides corporate e-mail and other advanced data services through its GPRS, EDGE and Mobitex packet data networks. Details of the company are available at http://www.cingular.com/ . DATASOURCE: Cingular Wireless CONTACT: Clay Owen of Cingular Wireless, +1-404-236-6153, or ; or Lauren Butler of Ketchum, +1-404-879-9283, or , for Cingular Wireless Web site: http://www.cingular.com/ http://www.be-sensible.com/ http://www.avis.com/besensible

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