Race car driver Alex Tagliani makes pit-stop at La Ronde

MONTREAL – Quebec race car driver Alex Tagliani, or Tag, as his fans like to call him, made a special appearance at Montreal’s La Ronde amusement Park Saturday afternoon.

While Tagliani met with fans, posed for photos, signed some autographs and no doubt exchanged banter with race car afficionados, his true mission had very little to do with racing cars.

“We’re here with our allergy awareness program with EpiPen,” Tagliani said. “It’s pretty amazing to see how many people are coming to our tent with their EpiPens.”

The EpiPen is a medical device that looks like a pen and is used to inject a measured dose of epinephrine to treat anaphylaxis often caused by severe food allergies.

READ MORE: What you need to know about anaphylaxis

Tagliani himself suffers from severe tree nut and peanut allergies and recently created a foundation whose mission it is to raise not only funds but also awareness about food allergies.

“It’s interesting to meet and talk about the challenges of how to manage allergies with the people,” Tagliani said.

As a new father to a 13-month-old girl with an egg allergy, Tagliani says he understands how scary it is for parents.

“I totally understand the parents,” he said. “How difficult it is to leave their kids running around in a place where you can buy food but  you don’t control the environment.”

La Ronde now has a partnership with EpiPen, and emergency kits are available on site.

READ MORE: UBC researcher finds many parents don’t know how to use EpiPen

While that might make some parents feel safer, Tagliani argued that knowing how to manage your own allergy is a responsibility that can’t be shirked.

“It’s very important that you protect yourself first,” he said. “You have a responsibility to know how to manage your own allergies and part of that is carrying your Epipen at all times.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's very important that you protect yourself first," he said. "You have a responsibility to know how to manage your own allergies and part of that is carrying your Epipen at all times."

Tagliani says he made a few mistakes himself and learned that lesson the hard way, with a close call in a restaurant.

He’s hoping today’s event is making a difference and will help others learn how to live safely with their allergies.

While Tagliani admitted that his car was a big attraction for fans, today was ultimately about saving lives.