A Look at Wheelchair Crash Testing

Introduction

Standards for Wheelchair Transportation Safety have been developed by ANSI/RESNA and ISO, which are US and International standards organizations. These standards require that any wheelchair securement system, occupant restraint system or manual/power wheelchair successfully pass a 30mph/20g impact sled test. The manufacturer of the device takes responsiblity for working with the testing facility to meet the requirements for the the sled test. (Read about the testing process at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.)

Only when a transit safety technology has successfully passed a sled test can the manufacturer claim that their device complies with the transportation safety standard. These standards describe in great detail how products are to be designed, tested, and labeled. (You can read more about standards on standards section of this website or purchase a copy of the standards from RESNA.)

For the novice, let's translate the "30mph/20g" criteria. It means that the wheelchair with it's transit safety technology and it's crash test dummy occupant are exposed to a simulated front-end collision. The wheelchair and the dummy experience a 30 mile per hour change in velocity and a deceleration equal to 20 times the force of gravity. In real life, for a wheelchair rider weighing 180 pounds (81.6 kg) this creates a huge amount of force. Twenty g's acting on 180 lbs of weight translates into a force of about 3600 lbs. (Imagine trying to catch a 3600 lb beach ball!)

This "30mph/20g" crash criteria is the same criteria that is used in testing all automobiles and child restraints or car seats. Using this same criteria when testing wheelchair transportation safety technologies is intended to provide equivalent protection for wheelchair riders.

Use the series of videos on the following pages to educate yourself about the value of transit safety technologies. Each crash test videos shows the contribution of one aspect of transportation safety technology--wheelchair securement, occupant restraint or the use of a WC19-compliant wheelchair. The crash tests were conducted in the test facility at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI).

The best choice for any traveler is to transfer to the vehicle seat and wear the vehicle's passenger safety belts. However, when transferring to a vehicle seat is too risky or is not possible, a person riding seated in a wheelchair should use all three parts of the transit safety technology to create optimal transportation safety.

To navigate through the QuickTime movies: use the menu below or use the "next video" link.

If you need QuickTime Player, it is a free download from Apple Computer's website.

Watch the first video

Menu for the video series:

For information about downloading these videos, link to the "Toolbox"

Last Updated: July 13, 2009