PARK RIDGE, N.J. -- Hertz.com has been redesigned to further simplify and personalize the online reservation process.

In addition to its popular "Special Offers" section, the new site features a newly redesigned reservation section; a section that explains Hertz's rental programs, services, vehicles and locations -- basically everything one needs to know "Before You Rent"; and a new section with driving directions and weather information to help customers plan "While You're There."

"Hertz's online business continues to grow rapidly to almost 15% of all U.S. reservations, with most of these reservations being booked directly at hertz.com," said Brian Kennedy, Hertz executive vice president of marketing and sales. "For the first time, in April of this year, we had more than 1.75 million visitors to hertz.com, another first for the car rental industry. We are now improving our Web site to make sure that we continue giving customers what they really want when they do business with us online."

Claude Burgess, Hertz vice president of technology and e-Commerce, added: "Since we first launched hertz.com in 1997, we have continually monitored customer feedback and changes in technology, and that work has culminated in the revamped site we fully launched on April 11, 2002."

The new site provides easy access to more pre-reservation information and reduces the time spent booking reservations, Burgess said.

The new "Before You Rent" section details Hertz's rental programs and services, location and vehicle guides, optional services that can be purchased when picking up the vehicle, and includes a full list of rental terms and conditions. To make the reservation process easier, the site offers a shopping cart feature with its "Remember" button so that any products, services and special-offer choices are automatically incorporated into the reservation.

The simplified reservation process, "Get a Quote ... Reserve a Car," incorporates "Before You Rent" and "Special Offers" choices. For Hertz #1 Club and #1 Club Gold members, personal preferences are automatically incorporated into the reservation. A sidebar outlines rental details for easy reference.

Customers in the reservation process are always free to browse other pages on hertz.com without loosing reservation information already provided. To return to their reservation, customers simply click the "Return to Reservation In Process" link that can be found on the upper left-hand corner of the site. Once completed, the customer automatically receives an e-mail confirming the reservation.

The "While You're There" section contains road maps with point-to-point driving directions, recommended safety tips and weather information.