Interpretation ID: nht87-2.61

TYPE: INTERPRETATION-NHTSA

DATE: 07/31/87

FROM: ERIKA Z. JONES -- CHIEF COUNSEL NHTSA

TO: RICHARD J. MAHER

TITLE: NONE

ATTACHMT: ATTACHED TO LETTER DATED 09/06/88 TO ROBERT DAUGHERTY FROM ERIKA Z. JONES, REDBOOK A32, STANDARD 213; LETTER DATED 10/16/86 TO TERRY WOODMAN FROM ERIKA Z. JONES; LETTER DATED 02/05/88 TO ERIKA Z. JONES FROM ROBERT DAUGHERTY, OCC - 1588

TEXT: Dear Mr. Maher:

Thank you for your letter requesting an investigation into the crashworthiness of belts used on wheelchairs. You explained that your son uses a motorized wheelchair that came equipped with a belt. In a crash last summer, your son was unfortunately inju red when the wheelchair belt tore loose at its anchorage point on the wheelchair. You asked that we consider the possibility of requiring wheelchair belts to provide crash protection similar to safety belts installed in vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has no authority to issue any regulations applicable to wheelchair belts. These belts are not safety belts, because they are not designed or intended to restrain the wheelchair occupant during a motor v ehicle crash. Rather, the belts you were describing are only intended to position and hold the wheelchair occupant upright during normal use of the wheelchair. Because these belts are not designed or intended for use in motor vehicles, they are outside the scope of this agency's regulatory authority.

Such belts are, however, medical "devices" subject to the authority of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA does specify certain standards that wheelchair belts must satisfy. You may obtain further information on the standards for wheelchair belts by writing to: The National Center for Devices and Radiological Health, 8757 Georgia Avenue, Room 1431, Silver Spring, MD 20910. You may wish to telephone Dr. Elmar Einberg, at (301) 427-7238, for further information on these belts.

I would like to call to your attention the fact that there are devices that are specifically designed to restrain wheelchair occupants in the event of a motor vehicle crash. These devices are called "tie-downs." A tie-down is attached to the vehicle its elf, while the wheelchair belt you described is attached only to the frame of the wheelchair itself. The stronger anchorage points used by a tie-down enable it to provide significantly greater occupant restraint during a crash. For further information on tie-downs, I recommend that you contact Dr. Lawrence W. Schneider, Transportation Research Institute, University of Michigan,

2 2901 Baxter Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48109." Dr. Schneider's telephone number is (313) 763-3582.

I was very sorry to learn of your son's injuries. I hope that this information will help reduce the chances of future injuries.

Sincerely,