NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ838001
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1040-0435
EISSN: N/A
Transportation Safety Standards for Wheelchair Users: A Review of Voluntary Standards for Improved Safety, Usability, and Independence of Wheelchair-Seated Travelers
Schneider, Lawrence W.; Manary, Miriam A.; Hobson, Douglas A.
Assistive Technology, v20 n4 p222-233 Win 2008
Safe transportation for wheelchair users who do not transfer to the vehicle seat when traveling in motor vehicles requires after-market wheelchair tiedown and occupant restraint systems (WTORS) to secure the wheelchair and provide crashworthy restraint for the wheelchair-seated occupant. In the absence of adequate government safety standards, voluntary standards for the design and performance of WTORS, and for wheelchairs used as seats in motor vehicles, have been developed. The initial versions of these standards qualify equipment for use in all types and sizes of motor vehicles using a 30-mph (48-kph), 20-g frontal sled-impact test. The wheelchair standard requires four accessible crash-tested securement points on wheelchairs so they can be more easily and effectively secured using a four-point strap-type tie-down system. Future voluntary standards are aimed at reducing injury risk for wheelchair-seated occupants in rear impacts and at providing a method for evaluating the crashworthiness of wheelchair seating systems independent of wheelchair base-frames. They also address improved usability and independence for wheelchair-seated travelers using public transportation by specifying universal docking interface geometry for wheelchairs and design and performance requirements for rear-facing wheelchair passenger stations for use in the very low-g environments of large fixed-route transit buses.
RESNA: Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America. 1700 North Moore Street Suite 1540, Arlington, VA 22209-1903. Tel: 703-524-6686; Fax: 703-524-6630; e-mail: publications@resna.org; Web site: http://www.resna.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A