Singer and “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks and racecar driver Andy Pilgrim brought a touch of celebrity to the less-than-sexy world of governmental transportation matters on Wednesday. The two appeared at a National Transportation and Safety Board meeting to speak about the dangers of texting and driving.
This isn’t Sparks’ first transpo rodeo, having met with Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood back in 2010. LaHood had called Sparks after hearing about a texting and driving campaign she was working on with her mom, and the two met in D.C. to discuss distracted driving. “I haven’t spoken to him in a while,” Sparks said at Wednesday press conference, “but hopefully we’ll get back started. I think all of us should come together to find a way to get this really started.”
The star admitted that she’s “not used to driving, even though I’m 22 years old.”
“I was 17 when I got into the entertainment industry,” she said. “People drive me around.” Sparks became passionate about distracted driving after an incident in which she was driving and glanced at her phone. “I swerved, and that was it for me,” she said.
Sparks also suggested that radio stations who play her songs reconsider promotions that ask listeners to text in answers to questions for prizes. “I think a lot of radio stations should reevaluate what they’re saying while listeners are listening in the car,” she said. “Tell people to be careful. Pull over to the side of the road before you try texting in.”
The driver also commended the NTSB for recommending a ban on phones in cars, a potentially unpopular move. “When I heard that, I think I actually dropped my cereal bowl on the table,” he said. “I thought ‘wow, no one at the NTSB has any political aspirations whatsoever.’”
