Cingular Teen Distracted Driving Program Reaches 7.8 Million Students

"Be Sensible: Don't Drive Yourself to Distraction" Program given to more than 450 New York schools and drivers education programs

BUFFALO, N.Y., Aug. 31 -- Cingular Wireless' award-winning teen distracted driving program has reached more than 2.2 million students so far this year, up from approximately 5.6 million students at the end of 2003. This means a total of 7.8 million students from more than 18,500 high schools and professional driving schools in all 50 states are using the program, which Cingular created in 2002 as part of "Be Sensible," a public service campaign to educate and remind consumers nationwide about safe and courteous ways to use mobile phones.

State driver education programs in 11 states, including New York, have officially accepted and facilitated distribution of "Be Sensible: Don't Drive Yourself to Distraction" to their schools, and one state -- Maryland -- has mandated the use of Be Sensible for all state-maintained driver education programs. Other state driving programs that have distributed the videos include: Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio and Virginia. As of the end of July, More than 450 copies of the program have been distributed in New York, including schools in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany.

"2003 was a banner year for Be Sensible: Don't Drive Yourself to Distraction," said Robert P. Holliday, vice president and general manager of Cingular Wireless in Upstate New York. "Cingular believes that education is the key to preventing distracted driving, and we're pleased by the program's growth in so far this year. Be Sensible reinforces our commitment to teens, and is consistent with our industry-leading position that new or novice drivers should not use the phone while driving."

A feedback survey of driver education teachers who have used the program reveals that 99 percent would use the program again, and that 88 percent agreed or strongly agreed that the students learned how to manage or eliminate driving distractions.

Cingular's Be Sensible: Don't Drive Yourself to Distraction is a comprehensive program, offered free of charge for high school educators and driving schools. The program teaches novice drivers how to manage all potential distractions, and includes an in-class video, detailed educator's guide, a wall poster and classroom activities to help teens learn to become more responsible motorists. It has been the recipient of several education awards, including the CINE Golden Eagle and the U.S. International Film and Video Festival Silver Screen.

Visit http://www.be-sensible.com/ for more information such as a list of "Teen Tips" or to view the teen driving educational video.

The Be Sensible safety and courtesy program was created by Cingular Wireless in 2001. The teen driving portion of the program has received the ongoing support of and/or collaboration from the following organizations: the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association (ADTSEA), the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), the Driving School Association of the Americas (DSAA) and the American Automobile Association (AAA).

About Cingular Wireless in Upstate New York

Last spring, Cingular announced the Upstate New York launch of its next generation network using Global System for Mobile (GSM) technology for voice, and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) for high-speed wireless data. More than 921 million people in 200 countries use this technology, which delivers a superior network, the world's widest selection of devices, and faster downloads on games, instant messaging and picture messaging. Overall, Cingular has invested more than $124 million in building this advanced wireless network in Upstate New York.

About Cingular Wireless

Cingular Wireless, a joint venture between SBC Communications and BellSouth , 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/