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Gold Medalist Promotes Passenger Safety

Buckle Up for Life provides parents and caregivers with car safety for kids
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Photo: Toyota

Three-time Paralympic Gold Medalist Alana Nichols is teaming up with Buckle Up for Life – a national child passenger safety program – to promote the importance of child passenger safety in a new video.

"As a Paralympic athlete, it's a tremendous privilege to have a public platform from which I can speak," said Nichols in a press release. "And, now as a mother, one of my strongest passions is to help parents and caregivers fully appreciate the importance of child passenger safety."

Nichols is a five-time Paralympian and six-time medalist. She is the first U.S. female Olympian to win gold medals at both the summer (wheelchair basketball) and winter (alpine ski racing) Paralympic Games.

For National Passenger Safety Week, which ran from Jan. 22 to 28, Nichols released a public service announcement.

According to Nichols, only one in four car seats are installed correctly.

"I was shocked when I heard that statistic," she said. "But perhaps I should not have been because I am the first to acknowledge car seat installation can be difficult. So, it's important for people to know there is a program available – Buckle Up for Life – that can help ensure your car seat is installed correctly."

Through community events and online resources, Buckle Up for Life provides parents and caregivers with information to help find the right seats for their children, and how to install and use those seats properly. They also provide in-person assistance through their local partner agencies.

"Buckle Up for Life strives to ensure families have the resources and education they need to keep their children safe on the road," said Keith Jones, senior manager of strategic partnerships and mobility for Toyota Motor North America.

Buckle Up for Life was created by Toyota and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in 2004.

Since that time, Buckle Up for Life has reached more than 180,000 people in collaboration with over 600 community organizations in nearly 250 cities nationwide. Toyota has provided funding for over 90,000 child safety seats for families in need. For more information, click here.