United Spinal is working on a new wheelchair securement standard designed for “safer, more accessible, and seamless independent travel in the future.”
In a Nov. 20 announcement, United Spinal launched the SecureRide coalition with the mission of “developing a wheelchair securement standard that can be applied to personal vehicles, rideshares, public transit, as well as buses, rail, and low-speed shuttles.”
A Group Effort
“SecureRide will leverage a wide range of organizations with specific working knowledge of products, securement systems and requirements to fully develop, test and publish standards, and advocate for policies that support them,” the announcement said. “These organizations will later expand to include a broad ecosystem of support with additional disability and veterans advocacy groups and networks, research universities, certifying bodies and standards groups, federal agencies and the United States Congress.”
SecureRide’s strategy is divided into three stages.
In Stage 1, SecureRide will work with industry groups to develop concepts for solutions.
In Stage 2, SecureRide will work with a range of organizations to fully develop, test, and publish the new standards. The coalition will also advocate for policies that support the new standards.
In Stage 3, the coalition will deploy the plan and work with federal agencies and Congress.
“SecureRide will address the technical solutions for a wheelchair securement standard (such as WC19) and publish test results on various securement systems (i.e., wheelchair tiedowns and occupant restraint systems (WTORS),” the announcement said. “The coalition will review the regulatory requirements and voluntary standards for opportunities to harmonize, streamline and analyze the wheelchair procurement process from the initial contact for prescription through insurance approval and delivery to identify key steps that could increase the number of wheelchairs using the coalition’s standard securement solution.”
Uniting an Industry for Safer Travel
SecureRide listed its members as General Motors Global Technology Operations; Invacare Corp.; Ki Mobility; NCART; Permobil; Pride Mobility Products; the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute; Sunrise Medical; United Spinal; and Volkswagen Group of America.
United Spinal noted that 25.5 million Americans age 5 and older “have self-reported travel-limiting disabilities, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. In those statistics, 13.4 million are age 18 to 64, and 11.2 million are age 65 and older.”
Vincenzo Piscopo, United Spinal’s President/CEO, said in the announcement, “For untold millions of Americans, accessible vehicles would be a game changer for our community. A true democracy of transportation depends upon one bedrock principle: equal access. SecureRide’s work can lead to improved access, safety and independence for millions of wheelchair users across all modes of transportation.”
Image: Martinbowra
