Verizon Wireless Offers Tips To Help Customers Travel Safely This Holiday Season

BEDMINSTER, N.J., Dec. 15, 2005 -- 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.

For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to http://www.verizonwireless.com/.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 49.3 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at http://www.verizonwireless.com/. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.