Monmouth Vans Access and Mobility-Wall, NJ: October 2010

Caregiver Safety Tips when Transporting in a Van

September 08, 2010

If you will be transporting someone with a physical disability, their safety is your #1 priority.

If the wheelchair or scooter was purchased from the Internet, catalog or TV ad, there was probably no professional fitting and almost no training, especially when riding in a vehicle. This can be dangerous, even deadly. That is one of the main reasons Monmouth Vans Access and Mobility advises against this type of purchase. Please check out this article that pertains to online purchasing.

Ideally, before the wheelchair was purchased, trained professionals – a physician and a professional or certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist – evaluated your loved one’s individual needs and provided a recommendation for mobility equipment depending on the person’s limitations.

A Driver Rehabilitation Specialist can tell you if your own vehicle can be adapted to the individual’s needs or if a different vehicle should be purchased, and which make and model can be modified – not every car/van can be adapted.

Driver Rehabilitation Specialists also provide the required training that you may need to effectively and safely drive a modified vehicle.

If the person can transfer with assistance, he should ride in one of the vehicle’s original seats, with the wheelchair stored in back. Very few wheelchairs are designed to withstand a crash, especially manual wheelchairs. Several different options exist for seating that can assist with a transfer.

The National Institute for Rehabilitation Engineering recommends that if the person with disabilities must ride in the wheelchair, then that person or another person must double-check each trip that:

•The wheels of the wheelchair are locked to the floor of the van.

•That the wheelchair undercarriage or seat is tightly strapped down to the floor.

•That the user is strapped DOWN to the seat – and BACK, from the chest to the seat’s back structure. Countless wheelchair users have been injured because they did not follow these precautions. These must apply whether the van is privately owned, rented or a public for-hire service vehicle.

Remember, safety is YOUR responsibility.

The National Institute for Rehabilitation Engineering (NIRE) was a charitable & non-profit organization between 1967 and 2009. Schepens Eye Research institute is now home to NIRE’s data archive. Visit http://www.schepens.harvard.edu/nire.

To locate a Driver Rehabilitation Specialist in your area, contact:
The Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists
2425 N. Center St., #369 Hickory, North Carolina 28601
or visit http://www.aded.net/.
Call 828-855-1623

This mobility safety update has been brought to you by NMEDA – the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association. Need some information on how to make your vehicle wheelchair accessible or upgraded with the latest and most convenient features? Contact your NMEDA dealer. Your local NMEDA member is Monmouth Vans Access and Mobility - Wall, NJ a mobility equipment and accessibility expert!