Comfort and safety for wheelchair-seated passengers

The level of safety and comfort for wheelchair-seated passengers using special transport services (STS) has been subject of great interest during recent years. Field studies and crash-tests have been made in order to estimate the forces involved, and to formulate requirements of the wheelchair tie-down and occupant restraint system (WTORS). Studies have also previously been made on wheelchair-related injury epidemiology. Most of these injuries are related to tips and falls. In Sweden, wheelchair-seated passengers sometimes personally report accidents to the Swedish National Road Administration. These personal contacts, together with a few recently reported serious accidents, clarified to the SNRA that both deeper and wider information about the safety conditions in STS vehicles was necessary to obtain. Therefore, a study was initiated by the SNRA Vehicle and Road User Departments. The work was carried out by Lund University, Department of Technology and Society, and is presented below. The aim of this study was twofold. Firstly, to obtain information about wheelchair seated passengers assessments of safety and comfort, and the usage of tie-down and occupant restraint systems. Secondly, to study the frequency of incidents and near-accidents, and how common and serious injuries related to traveling with STS are. A questionnaire was sent out to five regions in Sweden. The different STS organizations administered the selection of 1737 customers. 801 respondents were registered and analyzed, and information was added through in-depth interviews. 80% of the passengers in the STS vehicles were satisfied with both the safety and comfort onboard the vehicles. Users of electric-powered wheelchairs were however somewhat less satisfied with wheelchair space and with entering and leaving the vehicle. 97% reported that they always use tie-down systems; 22% seldom or never use seat belts. 12% reported incidents during the period they have been eligible to STS. 5% reported personal injuries due to the incident. Incidents and injuries were most likely to appear during normal driving pattern, i.e. acceleration, braking, turning. The results indicated that the usage of existing WTORS doesn’t prevent from injuries to occur during abrupt maneuvering. The wheelchair-seated passengers were also subjected to risks during the boarding and alighting procedure. Instability of the wheelchair, a sometimes large vertical gap to the passenger compartment, a steep ramp or difficult maneuvering situations seemed to be causes of injuries. 40 % of the personal injuries were not reported to either the service provider or the police. 1% were hospitalized, and the same number needed more personal assistance afterwards. The study concludes that there is a strong need for WTORS more suitable for the passengers, for their wheelchairs, as well as for the drivers who handles the anchoring/disengaging process. From a reverse perspective, it might be the case that not all wheelchairs are suitable for in-vehicle transport. However, a low-floor vehicle concept might reduce accident risks related to the boarding and alighting process, regardless a large electric powered wheelchair or an ultra-light manual wheelchair being at use.