The bus industry has made great strides in improving the transportation options available to passengers who have special needs of all kinds, but new safety standards will make riding in buses, cars, and vans even safer for passengers in wheelchairs.
While some of the requirements on wheelchair tie-down systems have already gone into effect, there are more slated to be put into action by the end of next year. But the new standards are far from drastic mandates.
Source: School Bus Fleet
The latest industry standards have been published in Wheelchairs and Transportation, Volume 4, by RESNA (Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America). Those specifications require wheelchair tie-down systems to pass two different dynamic strength tests during crash testing.
Both tests use a “surrogate” wheelchair and average weight dummy in simulated 30 mph, 20-g crashes. The majority of the testing will remain the same, but the new test requirements set to be implemented in 2015 alter the required belt systems for occupants.
In the current rules, the lap and shoulder belts are installed so that the entire load of the occupant is applied to the vehicle during an impact. The idea is to separate the wheelchair and occupant loads from each other during wrecks.
The new rules move the occupant’s lap belt onto the wheelchair frame itself, so that the large majority of the force during a crash is applied directly to the tie-downs and not the occupant.
These are the first changes to RESNA’s wheelchair tie-down requirements since 2002, and they aim to provide respectful and safe transportation for wheelchair-bound passengers. The modifications may seem small, but the standards list numerous safety benefits including:
- Providing a better fit low on the passenger’s pelvis, which is considered the safest and most secure belt position
- Eliminates interference from wheelchair components such as armrests, which could interfere with lap belts anchored to the vehicle floor
- Reduces invasion of passengers’ personal space by the vehicle operator or attendant who must secure the straps around the rider’s body
- Reduces the time needed to secure the lap-shoulder belt
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