The WC19 compliant wheelchair is the newest part of transit safety technology. This ANSI/RESNA standard, passed in April 2000, describes a wheelchair that can withstand the forces of a crash. This American standard for transit tested wheelchairs is similar to ISO and Canadian standards.

After the wheelchair is secured to the floor of the vehicle, and the wheelchair passenger is belted using safety restraints, the next goal is to seat the passenger in a wheelchair designed to be a seat in a motor vehicle. Many wheelchairs do NOT have suitable points for attaching straps. Other wheelchairs do not allow attachment at the correct height on the wheelchair frame. The vehicle driver is left to guess the best location. Still other wheelchair frames are not strong enough to withstand the forces of a sled test crash pulse. Just because a wheelchair has a "seatbelt" with an automotive or airline style buckle does not mean that this belt is a safety belt. Most positioning belts are NOT anchored to the frame of the wheelchair. They are simply screwed into the seat rails. Velcro and positioning belts with buckles offer inadequate crash protection under high loads.

If a wheelchair is labeled as WC19 compliant, it means that this wheelchair model is available with a crash-tested frame and transit hardware and a wheelchair anchored safety belt. The wheelchair, when configured with these options, is sled tested with the appropriate size of test dummy as the standard requires. This website has an up-to-date, complete listing of WC19 compliant wheelchairs.

The WC19 standard is intended to insure that a wheelchair is more easily secured and the occupant is more easily restrained. These features makes it easier to comply with the first two parts of the transit safety technology system; the 4-point wheelchair securement and 3-point occupant restraint.

The following videos demonstrate the contribution of a WC19 wheelchair:

1. The first video is a non-WC19 compliant wheelchair.
2. The second video is an adult in a WC19 compliant power wheelchair.
3. The third video is a child in a WC19 compliant manual wheelchair.
4. The fourth video is a child in a WC19 compliant power wheelchair

A sled test with a child in a WC19 compliant manual wheelchair