Independent Wheelchair Securement

The goal of this Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) project was to develop an aisle-side containment device to enable users of wheelchairs to safely and independently use rear-facing containment on large buses, in lieu of the current standard, a four- point tie-down wheelchair securement system. The device includes a backrest and a movable aisle-side containment structure. The operation would involve the user backing into the securement space until the rear of the chair is in contact with the backrest. Activation of the aisle-side device would provide the second side of containment and the bus wall acts as the third side. This project was completed in two stages. The first of these stages included research and analysis to determine design requirements for aisle-side containment. The second stage used those requirements to complete detailed development of a backrest and aisle-side containment system. The concept was developed to the point of having a complete computer-based 3-D model from which a working prototype was built. In field tests using a manual wheelchair and a four-wheel scooter, the prototype successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of this retractable aisle-side containment system. Wheelchair rotation and tipping during extreme vehicle maneuvering were both shown to be prevented by the aisle-side containment system.