May is Global Youth Traffic Safety Month, so the timing is perf. “The fact that nearly eight teens die each day in car crashes motivated me to get involved so that my friends, family and fans can all get there safe every time they get into a car,” Austin said. In fact, he’s so into this that he’s offering you a chance to meet him as a reward for driving safely!
We’re talking about the #GetThereSafe Challenge. Download the free app, share pics of you arriving at your destination because of your good driving, and make sure to give the name of your school and select the appropriate hashtags (they’ll help you with that). This is going on from now till August 8, and a lucky winning school will have Austin visit them this autumn.
For more deets on the Allstate Foundation’s #GetThereSafe program, tips on how to drive safely and what song on his debut album makes him most proud, I spoke to Austin himself.
ACT: It’s great that you’ve teamed up with The Allstate Foundation for Global Youth Traffic Safety Month. What are some of the main ways teens can drive more safely?
AUSTIN: Yeah, so I teamed up with the Allstate Foundation and one of the main things that teens can do to stay safe is, number one, always buckle up. Number two, try not to get distracted by friends in the car. Number three, if you’re trying to send a text or make a call, you should wait till where you’re going to do those things and stay safe.
+Watch Austin Mahone joins the #GetThereSafe Program
ACT: Have you learned anything that’s surprised you while working with this campaign?
AUSTIN: I learned that car accidents are the number one killer of teens. That’s pretty crazy.
ACT: How can people get involved with the #GetThereSafe Challenge? And what’s this about winning a visit from you?
AUSTIN: They can go to teensgettheresafe.com for more information and all that stuff. Everything is on the website and you can figure out how to do that.
AUSTIN: There’s a song on there I wrote and produced myself, so that’s pretty cool. It’s called “All I Ever Need.” There are a lot of other great songs. They sound like one of my singles, “What About Love?” kind of like that, upbeat, Backstreet Boys kind of feel. They all kind of have that in some type of way and I have some cool ballads as well.
ACT: Of course we remember when you were MTV Act’s Valentine and sent roses to a winner who told you about their favorite cause. What are some of your favorite causes?
AUSTIN: Anti-bullying. I’ve been bullied so that’s important to me. There are a lot of cool organizations that can help and all that good stuff. And calling it out when you see it. Definitely supporting each other and helping each other out if you see bullying happening.
ACT: What is one way your life has changed in the past 3 years?
AUSTIN: It’s changed in a lot of ways in a short amount of time. You know, me being signed and I’m about to go on my second tour in July, which is pretty awesome. Everything is moving fast and I’m growing every day. A lot of exciting things are happening.
Photos: (Allstate)