Are there weight limits for people who can purchase and use a transit wheelchair based the size of crash test dummies?
General Motors or Ford does not restrict the sale of passenger vehicles to consumers who weigh less than the 170-lb crash dummy used in crash tests required by federal safety standards. To clarify, the transport standards specify that the size and weight of the crash dummy used in the 30-mph frontal impact test be representative of the size and mass of the largest person for which the wheelchair is designed. Thus, if a wheelchair is designed only for use by children, then either the six-year old 60-lb crash dummy or the 100-lb small-adult dummy would be recommended for use in the sled impact test. However, if the wheelchair is designed for use by a wide range of adults, the test specifies that a 170-lb or 50th-percentile adult male crash dummy be used. The manufacturer can also choose to use a larger 95th percentile adult male dummy, but this heavier dummy is not required, even though the wheelchair may be designed for, and capable of, being used by persons with a body weight of 220 lb
