Committed to Improving Safety

05 MARCH 2012

Q'Straint and Sure-Lok Are Committed to Improving Safety by Minimizing Tip Overs

Transportation is crucial in helping individuals with special needs maintain independence. In a world of increasing pressure to meet transit schedules, there may be a temptation to cut corners to keep up. Whether you are driving the school bus, running para-transit, in charge of the city bus, or a small van service such a decision can be particularly hazardous if your passengers are in a wheelchair. If you fail to secure the passenger and their wheelchair properly, and you have to take a sharp turn, they can tip over.

For public transit officials, the ramifications of improper securement can be costly in terms of lawsuits and insurance claims. Nearly 100% of all litigation resulting from accidents involving those in wheelchairs is related to tip overs. Most tip overs occur during normal operation of the transportation – that is, emergencies and weather-related incidents do not play a major role in wheelchair tip overs. You may not be able to prevent 100% of accidents, but you can keep wheelchair passengers safer and decrease liability by using the wheelchair tie-downs and occupant restraints properly.

We realize the products we make are essential to passenger safety, so it is necessary that drivers be well trained. Proper training helps to minimize injuries and prevent accidents. Our commitment to driver training has led us to create best-in-industry driver training program, which is available online and in person at our driver training seminars. If you are not able to attend the in-person training sessions, there are excellent product-specific driver training guides that can be downloaded or viewed online.

Turning the Industry Around

10 JANUARY 2012

It’s time for an about-face in thinking when it comes to wheelchair restraint systems in U.S.-based transit systems. Literally. For decades now, forward-facing safety restraints have been the de rigueur standard. Q’Straint delivers wheelchair passenger safety solutions in more than 50 countries around the world, however, where the standard is the just the opposite.

At APTA in October, we unveiled the Quantum - an innovative solution that we hope will raise awareness of the advantages of the rear-facing setup. Such a turnaround in the way wheelchair-mobile passengers are transported augments their safety and reduces time, effort and costs for public and private transit operators. But more importantly, it strictly adheres to ADA, CSA, and ISO standards while preserving the dignity and independence of the disabled.

Right now, when passengers in a wheelchair want to board a city bus, they must turn their chairs around. The driver must come and safely position the passenger in a forward-facing position and secure the restraints. Our new system will be a breakthrough in terms of eliminating driver interaction. Adopting this approach will lessen the incidence of securement mistakes and cut down on the liability transit operators face.

Around the world, transit systems in the Europe, Asia, and Latin America acknowledge that rear-faced seating is the safest direction for large vehicle transport. Crash test analyses show that most crashes are frontal. The impact from these crashes will send a wheelchair-mobile passenger lunging forward. In the case of a collision, or even a hard brake, forward-facing wheelchair passengers can and often do fall from their chairs.
By restraining chairs to face the back, the impact sends the passengers’ bodies into the supportive surface of the chair behind them. The same logic applies to rear-facing infant car seats. This logic saves lives and prevents injury, not to mention reduces city bus idle times, and promotes independence with wheelchair passengers.

There’s some natural resistance, to be sure. Rear-facing passengers will not be able to see their upcoming stop, but even the most basic public transit systems have auditory and visual alerts for upcoming stops. Facing a different direction is not an issue for the millions of public transit riders in New York City, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta. They ride facing every which direction each day. Seats are positioned to maximize space, which is another advantage of the Q’Straint product. Staying within the space requirements of the ADA, our rear-facing restraint system will take up less room so transit operators can safely accommodate more people.

It’s a win-win solution, and we’re proud to be pioneering in this area. Stay tuned.