Sprint and QualComm Talk Offers Wireless Safety Week Tips

New England proudly lays claim to the worst driving in the country. Reflecting their heritage as Colonial footpaths, roads from Maine to Connecticut twist and turn, defying the predictable grids that characterize Manhattan or Chicago. Rotaries are thrill-packed challenges, while potholes punctuate the most benign looking streets. And in New England's Hub, Bostonians have long been proud to be the most daredevil drivers of all. With wireless phones becoming a way of life for millions of New Englanders, the region has good reason to pay attention to advice being offered during Wireless Safety Week, May 17-23.

Sprint PCS and QualComm Incorporated are joining the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) to promote Wireless Safety Week, and drive home the message that, when it comes to using a wireless phone on the road, safety is a consumer's most important call.

"Driving in New England offers special challenges, which reach their height in greater Boston. When it comes to driving, Yankee reserve often gives way to reckless abandon and aggressive disregard for red lights and stop signs," notes Ernest Lindblad, New England area vice president for Sprint PCS. "Wireless phones provide real safety benefits, including the ability to make a phone call in an emergency. But with that benefit goes responsibility. Our support of Wireless Safety Week is an effort to encourage every one in New England to make safety their number one priority when they get behind the wheel."

Wireless users can ensure that they are playing it safe when they step behind the wheel of a vehicle by following a few simple, essential guidelines developed by CTIA. These wireless safety tips can be found on Sprint PCS' web site at and in a special, free brochure, "Safety: Your Most Important Call," now available at Sprint PCS Centers nationwide. The CTIA wireless safety tips include:

• Get to know your wireless phone and its features.
• When available, use a hands-free device.
• Position your phone within easy reach.
• If necessary, suspend the call in heavy traffic or hazardous weather conditions.
• Do not take notes or look up phone numbers while driving.
• If possible, place calls when you are not moving or before pulling into traffic.
• Dial 911 to report serious emergencies (It's free on Sprint PCS phones).

From now through August 31, consumers can also test their wireless safety skills first-hand by taking a Driver's Safety Quiz at local Sprint PCS Centers. Participants will be entered in a national sweepstakes to win Sprint PCS and QualComm merchandise and an all-expenses paid, grand prize trip for two to the Indy Racing League's Las Vegas 500 race on October 11, 1998.

In addition to following wireless safety tips, consumers should look for special features on their wireless phones that allow them to stay focused on the road at all times. QualComm phones offer advanced features that support user safety. There is another clear advantage to using a QualComm phone and Sprint PCS service on the road. Motorists have the ability to make phone calls in an emergency, report a crime or request roadside assistance. According to CTIA, more than 83,000 wireless calls are placed to 911 and other emergency operators each day in the United States.

"QualComm recognizes the importance and value of safety and security in wireless communications and is proud to support wireless safety week," says Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, president of QualComm Consumer Products.