Manual Wheelchair Safety Tips
Proper attention should always be taken to wheelchair safety, to maximize freedom and independence. The wheelchair should always be used in the proper manor and regular maintenance is essential for your protection and to help avoid injury.
Safety Guidelines
Your centre-of-gravity should always be maintained whenever you are in your wheelchair, sitting or traveling. A seat belt should always be used if available.
Daily activities such as transferring to and from the wheelchair, reaching for items and bending forward, should be practiced in someone’s presence before attempting them on you own.
When reaching, leaning or bending forward, always ensure the brakes are locked and maintain a firm and balanced seat position. You should never reach between your knees or move forward in your seat to pick an object up.
Before attempting to ride on ramps, inclines or declines, you should determine your capabilities by practicing first with someone close by. You should never attempt to go up a steep slope alone. You should also look out for uneven surfaces, spills, holes or obstacles, which could cause you to have an accident.
You should not attempt to go up a curb or tip the wheelchair without assistance. It is always safer to find an alternative way around a curb rather than going up it. You should look for a nearby ramp, curb cut or an elevator if available.
Wheelchair Transportation Safety
If you remain in your wheelchair when riding in a moving vehicle, you should ensure it has a “Transport Safe” label. A transport safe label guarantees that the wheelchair has undergone several crash tests and is able to withstand a collision.
During transport, wheelchair users need to use a tie-down system to secure the wheelchair to the floor of the vehicle.
An occupant restraint system should also be used to reduce the risk of injury during a collision.
All of the “Aktiv Wheelchairs” from Go Mobility have passed crash test ISO7176-19:2001 for occupied transportation.