Wheelchair occupant restraints in motor vehicles

The issue of safety for wheelchair users in motor vehicles has been raised in Australia by parents of young people with disabilities. Investigations revealed that wheelchair users were not covered by any legislated safety requirements, and each case received special dispensation from compliance with regulations covering the able-bodies population. Dynamic testing of restraint systems at the University of Michigan had revealed that existing systems were unsafe. Dynamic tests confirmed those findings on systems used at that time in Australia. Testing led to the design, development and marketing of a new wheelchair occupant and restraint system which remains a system of choice for use by organisations where the same people use the same buses in the same position each day. Australian Standard 2942-1987, Wheelchair Occupant Restraint Assemblies for Use in Motor Vehicles, has since been developed. It establishes design and performance requirements for these restraints and includes details of dynamic testing procedures. This paper describes the development of the above restraint system and the subsequent Australian Standard.