Justin Bieber has thrown his support behind a campaign against texting while driving.
The teen pop sensation has filmed an advert for PhoneGuard, the company behind the free Drive Safe application which locks the text-messaging function on Android and Blackberry phones to prevent drivers from typing while travelling at more than 10 miles-an-hour (16 kilometres-per-hour).
In the commercial, which was unveiled on Tuesday (19Jul11), the Baby hitmaker says, "I get it, it's tempting to text and drive, but maybe it's time to take responsibility for our actions. If someone texts you while you're driving, let them wait. You're more important than a text could ever be."
Bieber insists the ad is all about safety, telling HuffingtonPost.com, "This campaign isn't anti-texting. It's about texting responsibly."
And the singer reveals he was inspired to take a stand against the dangerous practice after meeting the family of tragic Texan teenager Alex Brown, who died in 2009 after losing control of her car while using her phone.
Bieber helped Brown's parents redecorate their home in a special episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which aired in the U.S. earlier this year (11), and he has continued to work with their Remember Alex Brown Foundation ever since.
In a post on his Twitter.com page, he writes, "We Launch 2day (today) - proud to be working with PhoneGuard & Rab Foundation."