What should I do if I use a very heavy wheelchair that may exceed the capacity of existing tiedown devices?
The question of when and whether to use additional tiedown straps is up to the wheelchair user, the transit provider, etc. and depends on a number of factors. The Answer: probably also depends on whether the wheelchair complies with a transport standard, as will be explained shortly. For wheelchairs that do NOT comply with a transport standard, the more straps the better on heavy chairs. However, finding even four suitable securement points is problematic on many wheelchairs, and of course none of these points have been dynamically tested. The need for additional straps also depends on the type of vehicle and transit mode. For large city buses and large school buses, more than four straps is probably not warranted, especially for transport-tested wheelchairs, since this type of vehicle is very unlikely to ever experience a 30 mph crash to which tiedown straps that comply with tiedown standards have been tested. Another factor that could influence the decision about whether and when to
