■ Appendix A Message from the CTIA
(Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association)
to all users of mobile phones
© 2001 Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association. All Rights Reserved.
1250 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 800, Washington, DC 20036.
Phone: (202) 785-0081
Safety is the most important call you will ever make.
A Guide to Safe and Responsible Wireless Phone Use
Tens of millions of people in the U.S. today take advantage of the unique combination
of convenience, safety and value delivered by the wireless telephone. Quite simply,
the wireless phone gives people the powerful ability to communicate by voice—
almost anywhere, anytime—with the boss, with a client, with the kids, with
emergency personnel or even with the police. Each year, Americans make billions
of calls from their wireless phones, and the numbers are rapidly growing. But an
important responsibility accompanies those benefits, one that every wireless
phone user must uphold. When driving a car, driving is your first responsibility. A
wireless phone can be an invaluable tool, but good judgment must be exercised
at all times while driving a motor vehicle—whether on the device or not.The basic
lessons are ones we all learned as teenagers. Driving requires alertness, caution
and courtesy. It requires a heavy dose of basic common sense—keep your head
up, keep your eyes on the road, check your mirrors frequently and watch out for
other drivers. It requires obeying all traffic signs and signals and staying within
the speed limit. It means using seatbelts and requiring other passengers to do the
same. But with wireless phone use, driving safely means a little more. This brochure
is a call to wireless phone users everywhere to make safety their first priority
when behind the wheel of a car. Wireless telecommunications is keeping us in touch,
simplifying our lives, protecting us in emergencies and providing opportunities to
help others in need. When it comes to the use of wireless phones, safety is your
most important call.
Wireless Phone Safety Tips
Below are safety tips to follow while driving and using a wireless phone which
should be easy to remember.
1. Get to know your wireless phone and its features such as speed dial and
redial. Carefully read your instruction manual and learn to take advantage of
valuable features most phones offer, including automatic redial and memory.
Also, work to memorize the device keypad so you can use the speed dial
function without taking your attention off the road.
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2. When available, use a hands-free device. A number of hands-free wireless phone
accessories are readily available today. Whether you choose an installed
mounted device for your wireless phone or a speaker phone accessory, take
advantage of these devices if available to you.
3. Position your wireless phone within easy reach. Make sure you place your
wireless phone within easy reach and where you can grab it without removing
your eyes from the road. If you get an incoming call at an inconvenient time,
if possible, let your voice mail answer it for you.
4. Suspend conversations during hazardous driving conditions or situations. Let
the person you are speaking with know you are driving; if necessary, suspend
the call in heavy traffic or hazardous weather conditions. Rain, sleet, snow
and ice can be hazardous, but so is heavy traffic. As a driver, your first
responsibility is to pay attention to the road.
5. Do not take notes or look up phone numbers while driving. If you are reading
an address book or business card, or writing a "to do" list while driving a car,
you are not watching where you are going. It’s common sense. Don’t get
caught in a dangerous situation because you are reading or writing and not
paying attention to the road or nearby vehicles.
6. Dial sensibly and assess the traffic; if possible, place calls when you are not
moving or before pulling into traffic. Try to plan your calls before you begin
your trip or attempt to coincide your calls with times you may be stopped at a
stop sign, red light or otherwise stationary. But if you need to dial while
driving, follow this simple tip—dial only a few numbers, check the road and
your mirrors, then continue.
7. Do not engage in stressful or emotional conversations that may be distracting.
Stressful or emotional conversations and driving do not mix—they are distracting
and even dangerous when you are behind the wheel of a car. Make people you
are talking with aware you are driving and if necessary, suspend conversations
which have the potential to divert your attention from the road.
8. Use your wireless phone to call for help. Your wireless phone is one of the
greatest tools you can own to protect yourself and your family in dangerous
situations—with your phone at your side, help is only three numbers away.
Dial 9-1-1 or other local emergency number in the case of fire, traffic
accident, road hazard or medical emergency. Remember, it is a free call on
your wireless phone!
9. Use your wireless phone to help others in emergencies. Your wireless phone
provides you a perfect opportunity to be a "Good Samaritan" in your community.
If you see an auto accident, crime in progress or other serious emergency where
lives are in danger, call 9-1-1 or other local emergency number, as you would
want others to do for you.
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10. Call roadside assistance or a special wireless nonemergency assistance number
when necessary. Certain situations you encounter while driving may require
attention, but are not urgent enough to merit a call for emergency services.
But you still can use your wireless phone to lend a hand. If you see a broken-
down vehicle posing no serious hazard, a broken traffic signal, a minor traffic
accident where no one appears injured or a vehicle you know to be stolen, call
roadside assistance or other special non-emergency wireless number.
Careless, distracted individuals and people driving irresponsibly represent a hazard
to everyone on the road. Since 1984, the Cellular Telecommunications Industry
Association and the wireless industry have conducted educational outreach to
inform wireless phone users of their responsibilities as safe drivers and good citizens.
As we approach a new century, more and more of us will take advantage of the
benefits of wireless telephones. And, as we take to the roads, we all have a
responsibility to drive safely.
The wireless industry reminds you to use your phone safely when driving.
For more information, please call 1-888-901-SAFE.
For updates:
http://www.wow-com.com/consumer/issues/driving/articles.cfm?ID=85
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