Automobile Accidents and Wheelchairs

[hippeaux]

Something I've wondered about for a long time, but have found little information on, is automobile safety as relates to wheelchairs. Do any of the manufacturers, or other organizations, do safety testing? Just how safe are our chairs in an accident?

And to expand a bit further, what if the chair has a seating system that includes such features as tilt and/or recline and/or lift abilities?

And to expand one further time, what if the chair is tilted and/or reclined at time of impact?

[nandol]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW69dypaCkc

[Burgerman]

I suspect that its best not to crash if you are
a) in a powerchair.
b) already broken...

so just dont...

I make my Attachment "pin" bolt VERY solid. Short, 26mm of thread, well and truly threaded and welded nut as well. (about 2 inches long with the tie down mounted high on spacers to give 2 inches of clearance in use).

I make sure that in a sudden stop the FRONT EDGE of the battery box is steel, 4mm, seam welded and has some 16mm bars across it bolted from the sides. Because one of the biggest issues is heavy batteries continuing forwards...

And The SEAT BACK has to be strong. And the tilt mechanism if you have it must be very strong. I dont, but have rubber mounted seat front. Thanks for reminding me. It will get a strong steel rope tether just in case too now to protect if I get hit from the rear. And it needs an anti tip floor mounting tie down that is strong too for the same reason.

[Burgerman]

See, tie down mounting (3 position possible, but the bolt needs to be radically shortened yet!) And thats not the wheel or worn out tyre I will be using...
See also the bar at the top (front) across to stop the battery moving forwards just in case. There will be another at the bottom too.
See also (JC) the point where the frame /centre section connects.

[Burgerman]

Notice too that the rear frame and anti tips are what its standing on. They dont protrude so keeps the chair shorter.

[hippeaux]

Well, my disability isn't from being broken, but by muscular dystrophy - though, I guess it could be argued that I'm "broken" at a more fundamental level... regardless, even though I don't drive, being in an accident is fairly far down my list of things to do!

The pin on your chair looks alot like what we've put on my current chair, which isn't so surprising.

I've enjoyed examining your chair and seeing how the various incarnations have come together. While I've been able to keep my (very) old E&J going, I don't have anyone that can help fabricate the chair I'd really like.

[Martin O Refurbisher]

I can't believe that there is no one in US who can help you fabricate the chair you would really like.
Given the resources of this board, what's the problem? Can we help?

Best,

Martin

[ex-Gooserider]

A lot depends on what kind of accident you are talking about - are we talking getting hit by another car while driving or passengerring in your car, or getting clobbered while tooling down the road in your chair....

In the first case, getting hit while in your car, much depends on how well your chair is secured, and how well you are fastened down in the chair.... In theory, if your chair is properly secured, and you are wearing an appropriately configured and positioned seat-belt & shoulder harness, then you should be protected (or not) to approximately the same level that a person sitting in the same place in a standard seat would be - i.e. not all that badly.

However this is very dependent on proper securing, the proper seat belt installation and usage, etc... I have strong reason to think that in many para-transit vans, and even many personal vans the chair may or may not be that well secured, and the seat belt can often be a bit of a joke...

In my van, at least at my last fitting, the seat belt COULD be fastened properly but it was a pain as the belt had to be threaded over and under my arm-rests, side organizer bag, and so on... Much easier to just go over the top of the arms (which is what most all the paratransit guys do) which greatly reduces the effectiveness of the belts...

In the second case, getting clobbered while just in your chair, is probably a lot iffier, depending on the relative sizes of the chair vs. the other guy, speeds, direction of hit, etc... While I don't have any real data, In general I'd say that compared to a normal pedestrian you would have SOME level of protection from the chair hardware acting to shield you from the direct impact (especially if you are wearing a seat-belt) but you are not going to get thrown clear as readily, so the chair will hold you in place if the vehicle tries to go up and over you or otherwise subject you to more than just the initial hit....

Bottom line, better to put the effort into not crashing than it is to worry about how to crash safely....

ex-Gooserider

[Martin O Refurbisher]

From the Sunrise Medical website:

""
Crash test approved
The F55 has been successfully crash tested and fulfils the performance requirements for ISO 7176-19

""
Best,

Martin

[Martin O Refurbisher]

see

http://rehabtech.eng.monash.edu.au/symp ... nofpwd.pdf

Best,

Martin

[Martin O Refurbisher]

See:

http://www.minicrosser.dk/Files/tests/J ... actors.pdf

Best,

Martin

[Martin O Refurbisher]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn7Ch1FAHJY

Best

Martin

[Martin O Refurbisher]

From

http://www2.dft.gov.uk/transportforyou/ ... ge=3#a1002

""
executive summary:

The safety of wheelchair occupants in road passenger vehicles

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Executive summary

Over recent years a number of legislative tools and codes of practice have been put in place to provide wheelchair users with greater access and freedom of use of public transport. Such regulations range from guidelines issued by national Governments, with the UK Government taking a lead role, to full EC directives. While these positive steps have achieved the aim of providing a greater choice and freedom of transport use to wheelchair users, the issue of safety in the event of an accident has not been rigorously assessed in a consistent manner across the various categories of road vehicles available to this group of travellers.

This project, commissioned by the UK Department for Transport, aimed to address the safety of adult wheelchair users in M1, M2 and M3 vehicles, i.e. private vehicles, taxis, minibuses, coaches and urban buses. The objective was to make recommendations for requirements on these categories of vehicles that would provide wheelchair users with at least an equivalent level of protection as a passenger seated in a conventional seat (fitted with a headrest) in the event of an accident. In addition, the security of carriage of a wheelchair user in an urban bus under normal operating conditions was also investigated.

The project tackled these issues firstly through a programme of numerical simulation, validated against a limited number of physical tests, the results of which helped to define a wide ranging testing programme. Initial work reviewing suitable test conditions indicated that the scope of vehicles could be addressed by examining 4 sets of conditions:

Forward facing wheelchair users in M1 or M2 category vehicles
Rearward facing wheelchair users in M1 or M2 category vehicles
Forward facing wheelchair users in M3 category vehicles
Rearward facing wheelchair users in M3 category vehicles

The protection provided for passengers was tested using conventional automotive crash test dummies, and the risk of injury assessed using the usual injury criteria derived from the dummy outputs. In each case a conventionally seated passenger configuration was tested to determine a comparable level of protection for the wheelchair seated occupant.

M1 and M2 vehicles were able to be considered together as previous research has shown that the same deceleration pulse is appropriate for the majority of both categories.

The modelling work indicated that the most influential parameters on the safety of wheelchair passengers are the location of the diagonal belt upper anchorage (i.e. upper location or floor level), the presence or otherwise of a head and back restraint and the closeness of fit between the wheelchair and the head and back restraint if fitted.

For forward facing occupants in M1 and M2 category vehicles it was apparent that some injury criteria such as head displacement and lumber spine compression were better for the wheelchair occupant than the conventionally seated occupant, however neck loads in particular were higher. The addition of a head and back restraint was found to improve the situation significantly, although the presence of a gap between the head and back restraint and the wheelchair had a detrimental effect. Any such head and back restraint should be compliant with the strength and energy absorption requirements of ECE Regulation 17. In general, an upper anchorage was preferable to a floor mounted anchorage.

Rear facing wheelchair passengers in M1 and M2 vehicles were found to be greatly more at risk than equivalent vehicle seated passengers, particularly in terms of neck and spine loads, the situation being worse still for both smaller and larger than average persons. Again, the situation was mitigated through use of a head and back restraint compliant with ECE Regulation 17, assuming a minimal gap between the wheelchair and the head and back restraint and a minimum horizontal strength requirement of 100kN.

The situation for forward facing passengers in M3 vehicles was similar to that for M1 and M2 vehicles, and the findings were also similar in that a head and back restraint was of benefit (compliant with ECE Regulation 17) with no gap and an upper belt anchorage.

Rear facing wheelchair passengers in M3 vehicles fitted with a back restraint not intended to provide crash protection, were found to be subject to unacceptably high head accelerations. The use of a head and back restraint compliant with Regulation 17 resolved the issue.

In all cases the anchorage loads were recorded and recommendations made for requirements on the anchorage strength in vehicles of each category. Likewise, occupant space requirements were derived from the dummy excursions for forward facing occupants.

The normal transit tests revealed that a vertical stanchion provides a better restraint on excessive wheelchair movement than does a horizontal bar. However, the tests only used a single type of wheelchair and hence any conclusions should consider the potential interaction of these systems with other wheelchair types.

The findings from this work have been developed into a set of recommendations for each category of vehicle which may form the basis for changes to regulations at the discretion of DfT.

""

Best,

Martin

[Drbic]

Long ago I was involved in an accident which didnt involve a wheelchair.... However I was in a Van with some children and it was a "rollover accident" where the van ended up on it's top. There were several things we never considered prior to that accident....

Whatever was on the floor ended up on top of us and the children (Van was on it's top at the end of the accident)

This caused me to become extrordaniraly aware that in a crash what is behind is coming forward and what is on the floor is gonna end up on you if the van goes upside down.

Just food for thought.

[66tbird]

I'm a safety nut in general. Quad with MD. As a youth I raced go-karts and it didn't take long to learn to be well secured while in motion. Then every wreck I've had after the wreck that taught me about that has been vividly surreal. One time my steering linkage failed and I had plenty to time to wish I wasn't going to hit that pole. When I did the seat belt (harness) reminded me of a hand reaching out and saving my life. Felt great to be alive.

My karting days are long gone but I still make darn sure I'm strapped down tight and my seat belt is fits correctly. Loose items go in back behind the seat or get tide down also. A survival knife is mounted on each corner post just in case the belts need to be cut. Fire extinguishers(sp?) front and back along with road flares.

Sure enough one night I got nailed and needed all those items. I was fine, my chair was bent to heck and my GF broke her back bouncing around during the incident.