ADVERTISEMENT WHEELCHAIR TRANSPORTATION STANDARDS | KEEPING SAFE AND CURRENT
New Standards Promise Stronger Wheelchair Tie-downs and Increased Passenger Safety
New safety standards for wheelchairs and tie-downs promise to improve transportation
safety for people who must use their
wheelchair as the passenger
seat when riding in a car, van or bus. Some of these new product design and crash test requirements have already gone into effect, while additional ones will not be in effect until December of 2015. In advance of this deadline, innovators of wheelchair tie-down systems are already striving to implement upcoming safety improvements for today’s passengers.
To comply with the new industry standards published in Wheelchairs and Transportation, Volume 4 of RESNA1 wheelchair standards (commonly referred to as WC18), wheelchair tie-downs or other securement devices must pass two different dynamic strength tests. Both of the impact sled tests subject the tie-downs to a 30mph, 20-g crash using a “surrogate” wheelchair and average weight dummy. What differs between the first test requirements that are already in effect and those requirements coming in December 2015, is how the occupant belts are installed. In the current WC18 requirement, the lap and shoulder belt is installed in such a way that the entire load of the occupant is applied to the vehicle during impact, effectively separating the wheelchair and occupant loads from each other. The second test requirement, as stated in WC19, places the occupant’s lap belt onto the wheelchair frame itself, therefore transferring a majority of that force onto the tie-downs, thus providing additional safety to the passenger.
The previous standards were implemented in 2002 and RESNA’s recent changes to both the WC18 and WC19 standards reflect ten years of real world experience of passengers, wheelchairs and securement systems in both crash and non-crash events.
1
RESNA: Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America
To learn more, please visit:
Qstraint.com/qrt-360 See Us At Booth #415
Building on the success of the previous requirements, the new standards will provide additional precautions based on today’s transportation environments to further ensure passenger safety. Lessons learned from the past ten years have reinforced the need for an anchored lap belt for providing a safe and respectful transportation experience for the wheelchair-dependent passenger. Among its many benefits, the wheelchair- anchored lap belt: • Provides a better fit low on the passenger’s pelvis, the safest and most secure belt location;
• Eliminates interference from wheelchair components such as armrests, as can happen with a lap belt anchored to the vehicle floor;
• Reduces invasion of the passenger’s personal space by the vehicle operator or other attendant who would otherwise be securing straps around the passenger’s body because the passenger would already be wearing the belt;
• Reduces the time required to secure the lap-shoulder belt.
These benefits address not only improved passenger safety, but also a more efficient and independent securement process. Thus, manufacturers see real value for their customers, and riders and drivers alike are eager to see the new improvements implemented rapidly. “The revised standards pose a design challenge, however we recently announced our new QRT-360 retractor that is fully compliant with the WC18 standard and will be available early 2014,” assures Bob Joseph, Vice President of Business Development at Florida-based securement systems manufacturer Q’Straint. “Q’Straint is pleased to offer improved wheelchair restraint safety to passengers well ahead of the December 2015 deadline.”
The new QRT-360 Retractor from Q’Straint meets the revised standards of WC18 and WC19 a year ahead of the effective dates.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84