Mobility and More: Proper Use of WTORS
By Schneider, Lawrence W.; Manary, Miriam A.; PN: Paraplegia News, Vol. 62, No. 8, pp. 28-29Publication Date: August 2008
Article focuses on the proper use of Wheelchair Tiedowns and Occupant Restraint Systems (WTORS) for wheelchair riders unable to transfer to a vehicle seat for transportation. For riders using a wheelchair as a vehicle seat, safe transportation requires using after-market equipment, known as WTORS, to (1) secure the occupied wheelchair facing forward in the vehicle, and (2) provide an effective crashworthy seatbelt for the rider. The most common type of WTORS is a four-point strap system securing the wheelchair. The type of wheelchair most easily interfaced with a WTORS is one that complies with ANSI/RESNA WC19, Wheelchair for Use as Seats in Motor Vehicles. This voluntary standard requires wheelchair frames to include four easily accessible brackets for attaching the tie-down straps. Methods for securing non-compliant wheelchairs for transport are also discussed, as are docking-type wheelchair securements, which are commonly used for people who drive from their wheelchairs. This is the second in a series of articles on wheelchair transportation safety by contributors working for the federally-supported Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Wheelchair Transportation Safety (RERCWTS).
Published by: PVA Publications (Website:http://www.pvamagazines.com)
Paralyzed Veterans of America (Web Site: http://www.pva.org )
This publication is included in the library of the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC), accession number J55230
