Why does WC19 require that wheelchairs used in transportation be designed for securement using a four-point, strap-type tiedown?
In addition to making wheelchair securement more effective and to ensuring a reasonable level of seat integrity and occupant support in a 30-mph frontal crash, it is equally important to ensure compatibility between the method of wheelchair securement provided on the wheelchair and the securement system available in the vehicle. Without compatibility, there is little value to having a WC19 wheelchair. For public transportation environments, including school buses, the four-point, strap-type tiedown system is currently the only system that can adapt to the wide variety of wheelchair types and sizes that are transported in a given vehicle each day. It is, today’s only “universal” wheelchair securement system. The four-point, strap-type tiedown is also a securement system that has proven to be effective in securing a wide range of wheelchair makes and models in 30-mph frontal impact crashes.