Requirement No.11 - Wheelchair within the vehicle
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FOR INCLUSION IN REGULATIONS |
FOR ACCOMPANYING GUIDANCE |
EXPLANATION |
| 11. Wheelchair within the vehicle |
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| 11.1 All passengers travelling in a wheelchair must face either forward or to the rear. |
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Wheelchair users must not face sideways in a moving vehicle. This practice can be dangerous as side facing wheelchairs are more likely to collapse and the wheelchair and occupant cannot be adequately restrained. |
| 11.2 All wheelchairs must be securely tied down with dynamically tested equipment. |
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Wheelchairs must be adequately secured with tie downs that comply with the international standard, ISO 10542. The standard is currently in draft but will be finalised before the regulations come into force. Although the standard currently refers only to forward facing restraint systems, rearward facing systems should also comply with the requirements of the dynamic test of 10542. |
| 11.3 Passengers occupying a wheelchair must be provided with an occupant restraint system. |
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| 11.4 Where the wheelchair user faces the rear, a padded backrest and head restraint for the user must be installed. This backrest and head restraint must be no more than 480mm from the floor and rise to at least 1300mm from the floor of the vehicle. Any incline to the vertical of the padded backrest must be no greater than 12o. The width of the backrest shall be between 270mm and 480mm. |
See diagram 9. |
A padded backrest of these dimensions protects a rearward facing wheelchair occupant in the event of a frontal impact.
Further research is being carried out. |
