Facilities & Services

Wheelchair and Tiedown/Restraint Testing

UMTRI's Biosciences Group conducts sled impact tests of wheelchairs and wheelchair tiedowns and occupant-restraint systems (WTORS) to determine their impact response characteristics and to evaluate products with respect to voluntary national and international standards and recommended practices. UMTRI has been involved in wheelchair occupant safety research for more than 20 years and the Biosciences research staff has been active in standard-development efforts worldwide since 1985.

Currently, most impact testing of wheelchairs and wheelchair seating systems at UMTRI is conducted in accordance with Section 19 ANSI/RESNA WC/Volume 1 "Wheelchairs Used as Seats in Motor Vehicles," which is also referred to simply as "WC/19." This voluntary standard was approved in May, 2000. The primary test conducted is the 48-kph, 20-g frontal impact test of Annex A, which is conducted on the UMTRI rebound sled. Additional wheelchair tests are conducted in accordance with Annex B, Annex C, and Annex E to assess the wheelchair with regard to clear paths from securement points to anchor points, lateral stability, and accommodation of vehicle-anchored occupant belt restraints. Although the international version of this wheelchair standard, ISO 7176/19, does not yet apply to pediatric wheelchairs, adult wheelchairs tested successfully to WC/19 will also be in compliance with ISO 7176/19.

WTORS are dynamically tested on the UMTRI sled using the methods and performance criteria outlined in Appendix A and Section 6.2 of the Society of Automotive Engineers' (SAE) J2249 "Wheelchair Tiedown and Occupant Restraint Systems for Use in Motor Vehicles." The test methods and performance criteria are the same as those of ISO 10542-1 "Wheelchair tiedown and occupant restraint systems - Part 1: Requirements and test methods for all systems," and thus, compliance with SAE J2249 implies compliance with ISO 10542-1.

For more information, please see the Wheelchair and Tiedown/Restraint Testing Informational PDF