WC19: A wheelchair transportation safety standard—Experience to date and future directions

• Published in: Medical engineering & physics Vol. 32; no. 3; pp. 263 - 271
• Main Authors: Manary, Miriam A, Ritchie, Nichole L, Schneider, Lawrence W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2010
• Subjects: Accidents - statistics & numerical data; Accidents - trends; Child; Disabled Persons; Dynamic crash testing; Equipment Safety - standards; Equipment Safety - trends; Humans; Motor-vehicle travel; Occupant protection; Protective Devices - standards; Protective Devices - trends; Radiology; Safety - standards; Seat Belts - standards; Time Factors; Transportation - standards; WC19 wheelchairs; Wheelchair tiedowns; Wheelchair transportation safety; Wheelchairs - standards; Wheelchairs - trends; Wounds and Injuries - epidemiology; Wounds and Injuries - etiology; Wounds and Injuries - prevention & control; WC19 wheelchairs; Wheelchair transportation safety; Occupant protection; Motor-vehicle travel; Dynamic crash testing; Wheelchair tiedowns
• ISSN: 1350-4533; 1873-4030
• DOI: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2009.08.012

Abstract ANSI/RESNA WC19 (i.e., WC19) is a voluntary standard that specifies design and performance requirements for wheelchairs that are suitable for use as seats in motor vehicles. The guiding principles for the standard originate from automotive crash-protection principles that are effective in reducing occupant injuries and fatalities. In addition to frontal-impact testing of wheelchairs, the standard includes tests for securement-point accessibility, tiedown-strap clear paths, lateral stability, and accommodation of vehicle-anchored belt restraints. Results from testing wheelchairs to WC19 reveal that the most common wheelchair problems include: a lack of structural integrity during frontal-impact loading; sharp rigid edges; and wheelchair structures that interfere with achieving proper positioning of vehicle-anchored belt restraints. Data from 8 years of experience with WC19 indicate where changes are needed to further improve transportation safety for wheelchair-seated travelers. These include expanding WC19 to include wheelchairs for smaller children who require a five-point harness restraint, and requiring wheelchairs to achieve a minimal rating for the ease of achieving proper positioning of vehicle-anchored belt restraints.