What is different about WC19 wheelchairs?
Other than the addition of four easily accessible securement points on the wheelchair frame, the wheelchair-anchored pelvic belt restraint, and the WC19-required labeling on the wheelchair frame and belts, these wheelchairs are not noticeably different from non-WC19-compliant wheelchairs. In many cases, the changes needed to redesign a non-WC19-compliant wheelchair so that it can become a WC19-compliant wheelchair are minor and involve modifications to structural design and changes in materials that will not be apparent to the wheelchair user or an observer. The 30-mph frontal impact specified in Annex A of WC19 imposes significant forces on the wheelchair and its securement points. These forces are functions of the wheelchair mass, the locations of occupant-restraint anchorages, the locations of the securement points on the wheelchair, and the size of the wheelchair occupant. However, it is important to know that wheelchairs do not need to be “built like a tank” to comply with the cra
