12/15/2005 BEDMINSTER, NJ ? Many Americans will pack up the car and drive to see friends, family and loved ones this holiday season. Verizon Wireless, owner and operator of the nation's most reliable wireless network, offers the following tips to help customers while traveling over the holidays.

• Drive Responsibly - When behind the wheel, safe and responsible driving is always your first priority.
• Prepare Before You Go - Do not manually dial or look up phone numbers when driving. Pre-program important and frequently dialed numbers and use the voice-activated and speed-dialing features of the phone.
• Start Off On The Right Foot ? Bring along the car charger and headset to ensure the phone is always fully charged and that you can talk ?hands-free? if you choose to make or receive a call. Make sure your hands-free device is on and working before driving. Using a wireless phone while driving may increase your risk of distraction, whether or not you use a hands-free device.
• Keep It Simple - If you choose to use your wireless phone while driving, do not take notes, check or send e-mails, text messages or picture messages while driving.
• Keep The Warmth In ? Never leave a wireless phone in the car's glove box or exposed to the cold during the winter months. The extreme temperatures could damage the phone.
• Watch The Elements - The risk of using a wireless phone while driving may be increased during hazardous traffic or weather conditions. To eliminate this risk, consider turning your phone off and allowing calls to go to Voice Mail.
• Have What You Need ? Travelers looking for peace of mind while traveling this holiday season can sign up for Roadside Assistance, a monthly service from Verizon Wireless that gives customers a link to useful automotive services, such as a battery boost, tire service, fuel delivery, towing, lockout service and vehicle extrication. On call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Roadside Assistance is associated specifically with the wireless phone number to which it is assigned so the service follows the phone, allowing anyone with the covered phone the assistance they need when they need it. Roadside Assistance is just $2.99 per month and customers can simply dial *611 from their wireless phone to sign up.
  

Verizon Wireless has invested more than $4 billion nationally each year - and more than $5.5 billion in 2004 alone - to enhance the service and reliability of its network. For travelers, that means calls are more likely to go through with Verizon Wireless.