Experimental evaluation of the wheelchair occupant protection under different impact conditions using commercial wheelchairs

Abstract

Mobility is a necessity for the population and to guarantee the access to the transport for all people with a minimum safety level must be an objective for our society. When wheelchair users access a vehicle and are unable to transfer to a seat, even when they are helped by other people, the wheelchair itself turns into a vehicle seat. The problem arises in the event of an impact, because wheelchairs are designed as mobility technical aidswith low weight as amain objective, butmost of themwithout specific safety requirements that allow wheelchairs to withstand the loads generated during an impact and to protect the wheelchair occupant. This work evaluates different commercial wheelchairs regarding its behaviour under three impact conditions (front, rear, and side) using different wheelchair tie-down and occupant-restraint systems (WTORS). In these conditions, the aspects that have more influence on the wheelchair occupant safety during an impact in a motor vehicle are analysed. Impact tests, mainly in rear and side directions, showed a very low level of occupant protection, due to the insufficient wheelchair structure strength and, in some cases, due to the inefficiency of a type of WTORS. In frontal impacts, submarining and dummy neck loads are the most critical parameters to achieve a good level of protection. The low strength of the wheelchair backrest is the main factor that increases the occupant injury risk in rear impacts, while the collapse of the wheelchair structure occurred in side impacts.