Pop star joins new campaign to encourage fans to download PhoneGuard app that locks smartphone when car is in motion.
By Gil Kaufman
Justin Bieber
Photo: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
Justin Bieber likely spends way more time on private jets and international flights than behind the wheel of a car. But the teen pop sensation knows one thing about driving: You shouldn't text when you're behind the wheel. That's why Bieber, 17, has signed on to a campaign urging his fans to lay off the smartphone while they drive.
"We need to change the attitudes in our society toward texting and driving and I am making it one of my personal goals to make this happen," said Bieber in a statement released as part of his endorsement of PhoneGuard's Drive Safe software, which disables the texting, email and keyboard functions of mobile phones while a car is in motion. "Every night we perform, we have a banner that goes up that says 'Don't Text and Drive' so it really means a lot to me," he said.
Bieber has been pushing his fans to give up texting while driving since earlier this year when he made a surprise appearance on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" to promote the efforts of Wellman, Texas' Brown family, who have been raising awareness about the dangers of the practice since their daughter, Alex, was killed in a texting-while-driving incident. Bieber's anti-texting campaign will provide some funds to the Remember Alex Brown Foundation charity.
The singer joins a number of other major figures who've been working to get the word out about the dangerous practice, including the Jonas Brothers, who have been outspoken advocates with Allstate's "X the Text" campaign. Others who've signed on for that effort include former "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks and "Camp Rock" star Meaghan Martin. "Glee" actress Jane Lynch has also filmed public service announcements, as her TV alter ego Sue Sylvester, on behalf of LG Mobile Phones to highlight the dangers of texting while driving.
Among the biggest names to endorse the end of the practice is Oprah Winfrey, who has been asking her followers to take the No Phone Zone Pledge since 2009, in which more than 423,000 people to date have vowed not to text while behind the wheel.
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