The safety of wheelchair occupants in motor vehicles

Abstract

Ensuring the free movement of disabled people, including the use of vehicles, is a fundamental right. Therefore, efforts should be made to draw up standards regulating both organisational and technical aspects related to the construction and testing of wheelchairs. The main purpose of the paper is a review the literature related to wheelchair transport safety and the current standards for wheelchair crash testing Wheelchair users must securely and safely attach their wheelchair to the vehicle when travelling. The most common methods include securing with a four-belt system or using docking systems. Docking systems allow the disabled person to restrain the wheelchair themselves. Their main limitation is the lack of standardisation. Issues related to in-vehicle wheelchair design and testing are mainly described in international ISO standards and, in the US, in ANSI standards. Not all wheelchairs are crash tested. Before using wheelchairs, it should be checked if they can be mounted in a car. An important issue is education of wheelchair users and their carers on proper wheelchair securing. Even when wheelchairs are effectively secured, occupants in wheelchairs could be seriously and fatally injured because of improperly used and positioned belt restraints.