All vehicles produced today are, as a matter of course, equipped with systems designed to protect the occupants should the vehicle be involved in an accident. Three point seat belts and airbags are fitted as standard in all modern vehicles. Developments in the field of transport for disabled persons have not yet reached the same level. The demands placed on a wheelchair restraint system are considerably less than those which are standard for a restraint system in a passenger car. In Commercial Vehicle Development at Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg a crash cushion has been developed improving safety in the transport of disabled persons to meet the higher, passenger car standards of safety and also take into account the special requirements of people in wheelchairs and staff accompanying them. The first measure to improve levels of safety in the transport of disabled persons - a new development - is a cushion which is secured with a lap belt and which rests on the thighs of the person seated in the wheelchair. The cushion improves the kinematics of the occupant in an accident to such an extent that good biomechanical load results are achieved under stringent testing requirements. (A)
Abstract