Using a Wheelchair as a Seat in a Motor Vehicle: An Overview of Wheelchair Transportation Safety and Related Standards
By Schneider, Larry; Exceptional Parent Magazine, pp. 44-48Publication Date: April 2007
Article addresses the higher risk of injury to wheelchair passengers in motor vehicles who are unable to transfer into vehicle seats. A major reason for the higher risk of injury for wheelchair-seated occupants stated is their having to rely on after-market restraint systems that are not federally regulated; in addition, most wheelchairs have not been designed or tested for use as seats in motor vehicles. The general considerations informing Section 19 of ANSI/RESNA Wheelchair Standards, Wheelchairs for Use as Seats in Motor Vehicles (WC19) regarding equipment design and performance in all motor vehicles are outlined. Compliance with these standards necessitates that all wheelchairs and wheelchair restraints be dynamically tested using a crash dummy to simulate typical occupant movements and weight occurring in a frontal crash. Because these standards are voluntary, the article points out that their effectiveness depends on wheelchair buyers demanding crash-tested products. This is the second article in the magazine's Wheelchair Transportation Safety series.
Published by: EP Global Communications (Website:http://www.eparent.com)
Link to text: http://www.rercwts.org/RERC_WTS2_KT/RERC_WTS2_KT_Pub/RERC_WTS_Pub_Doc/0407_WTS_Overview.pdf
