Motor Vehicle Transportation Use and Related Adverse Events Among Persons Who Use Wheelchairs
By Fitzgerald, Shirley G., PhD; Songer, Thomas, PhD; Rotko, Katherine A., MS; Karg, Patricia, MS; Assistive Technology, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 180-187Publication Date: Winter 2007
Study describes the characteristics of transportation use and crash and injury experiences reported by wheelchairs users in motor vehicles. A crash was defined as any motor vehicle accident that the person was involved in during the previous 3 years. Survey responses were collected from 596 participants from June 2002 to November 2003. Analysis revealed that motor vehicle transportation is used frequently by people in wheelchairs. Most subjects used private vehicles either as drivers (36 percent) or passengers (43 percent). Approximately 20 percent of the respondents indicated involvement in a motor vehicle crash in the previous 3 years, resulting in a rate of 3.6 crashes per 100,000 miles traveled. Drivers reported a higher percentage of crashes than passengers. Individuals who remained in their wheelchair were more likely to be involved in a crash than those who transferred from their wheelchair to a vehicle seat. Eighteen percent of respondents reported involvement in a non-crash-related incident. Passengers reported a greater frequency of non-crash-related injuries than drivers.
Published by: Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) (Website:http://www.resna.org)
This publication is included in the library of the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC), accession number J53757
