Why is WC19 needed?
Providing a safe ride for motor-vehicle occupants, including their protection in a vehicle crash, is a “systems” problem. The “system” involves the vehicle, the occupant, the seat, the seat anchorage, and the occupant restraint system. For vehicle occupants who remain seated in a wheelchair in a motor vehicle, the wheelchair becomes the vehicle seat and the seat anchorage is the wheelchair tiedown or securement system. With the completion of SAE J2249 Wheelchair Tiedowns and Occupant Restraint Systems (WTORS) for Use in Motor Vehicles, the wheelchair became the primary “weak link” in this system and the primary obstacle to providing wheelchair-seated occupants safer transportation and a reasonable level of occupant protection in a crash. If the seat or wheelchair is not effectively secured to the vehicle and does not offer the occupant effective support in a frontal crash, then the occupant-restraint system cannot provide effective restraint and, in fact, is much more likely to cause i
