SAE (Society of Automtive Engineers)-Adaptive Devices SubCommittee
Task Group on Restraint Systems
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Introduction/Acronyms:
Persons seated in wheelchairs while traveling in motor vehicles, including children traveling to school, adults traveling in public transit and paratransit vehicles, elderly traveling to and from nursing homes, and wheelchair-seated drivers and passengers of personally licensed vehicles (usually vans), have generally traveled at significantly higher risk of injury in a vehicle crash than the able-bodied population. This increased risk is not so much a result of a reduced tolerance to injury for this population of people (which may also be the case) as it is due to the absence of suitable seating and effective and appropriate occupant restraint systems, comparable to that available to travelers in vehicle seats that are regulated by federal safety standards.
SAE Recommended Practice J2249 Wheelchair Tiedowns and Occupant Restraints for Use in Motor Vehicles (hereafter referred to as J2249) was developed over a ten year period by the Restraint Systems Task Group of the SAE's Adaptive Devices Subcommittee (ADSC) in recognition of the need to improve after-market equipment used to secure wheelchairs and restrain wheelchair occupants during motor-vehicle transportation. While a primary element of this recommended practice is a dynamic strength test of wheelchair tiedown and occupant restraint equipment conducted on an impact sled in a manner similar to FMVSS 213 for child restraint systems (CRS), the practice includes many other requirements related to basic principles of occupant protection, as well as basic principles of good engineering and design practice.
SAE RP J2249, Wheelchair Tiedowns and Occupant Restraints for Use in Motor Vehicles, was first published in October 1996. The goal of this companion document is to provide guidance in the use of J2249, and to provide interpretation, explanation, and rationale for its various provisions and parts. This guideline document is written primarily for manufacturers of Wheelchair Tiedown and Occupant Restraint Systems (WTORS), but will also be useful to consumers and third-party groups who purchase, use, or install WTORS. It provides insight into the requirements set forth in the Recommended Practice, gives the rationale behind the requirements, and clarifies the intentions and limitations of the of the requirements. It also references parallel efforts that have taken place in other countries and indicates where attempts at harmonization have been successful.
Acronyms:
SAE- Society of Automotive Engineers
WTORS- Wheelchair Tiedown and Occupant Restraint Systems
RP- Recomended Practice
Announcements:
In May 2000, it was decided to combine the SAE-Restraints Task Group with the ANSI/RESNA Subcommittee on Wheelchairs and Transportation (SOWHAT) due to the commonality of membership and purpose. Please follow the SOWHAT activities for further information. The contents below reflect activities of the task group until this time.
Meeting Minutes:
- Reno, February 1995 (192k.pdf)
- San Antonio, January 1996 (192k.pdf)
- Orlando, January 1997 (192k.pdf)
- Reno NV, Feb. 1, 2000 (24k.pdf)
Draft Standards:
SAE RP-J2249: Wheelchair Tiedowns and Occupant Restraint Systems (WTORS)
Recommended Practice
Contact: Larry Schneider, email: LARRY@biosci.umtri.umich.edu
Final Committee Draft-January, 1997
CLICK on the each of the following to download the complete document:
- Final Committee Draft Forward (192K .pdf)
- Final Committee Draft Body (320K .pdf)
- Final Committee Draft Appendix (384K .pdf)
The published final J2249 Recommeded Practice document is available from the Society of Automotive Engineers (see address below).
SAE J2252: Mechanical Drawings for the WTORS Surrogate Testing Wheelchair.
The published final, J2252 document, is available from the Society of Automotive Engineers.
Note: the published version is available form SAE but is no longer accurate and is being revised by the Task Group. No download is available.
Contact: Gina Bertocci
Society of Automotive Engineers
400 Commonwealth Dr.
Warrendale, PA 15096-001
USA
Tel. 412-776-4841
Fax. 412-776-5760
Reference Documents:
RP-J2249-Wheelchair Tiedowns and Occupant Restraint Systems-
Application Guidelines
Although this applications manual was written primarily for WTORS manufacturers, it also serves as as an information resource for others concerned about wheelchair transport safety. For example, it lays out the basic biomechanical principles of crash protection, and provides the background rational for the J2249-Recommended Practice document. It contains information essential to those professionals concerned about transportaion safety and recommending "best practices" to families and wheelchair users. It also contains diagrams and lay explanations about the details of the standard itself, as well as technical guidance useful to designers and installers of WTORS. Finally, there is a section that provides information for users of wheelchairs and WTORS, in an effort to make them more knowledgeable and therefore capable of ensuring the proper use of wheelchair securement and occupant restraint devices.
Contact: Douglas Hobson, email: dhobson@pitt.edu
Click on the following to download the COMPLETE RPJ2249 guideline document (ver. June, 1999):
RPJ2249-Application Guidelines (ver. June, 1999)-(file-320k.pdf)
Click on the following to download specific sections only:
- Sec.I-Introduction (15k.pdf)
- Sec.II-Harmonization with Other Standards (12k.pdf)
- Sec.III-Basic Principles of Occupant Protection (23k.pdf)
- Sec.IV- A Detailed Explanation of RPJ2249 (176k.pdf)
- Sec. V-Guidelines for Users of WTORS (18k.pdf)
- Sec. VI- Guidelines for Transportaion Authorities and Installers (62k.pdf)
- Sec.VII-Guidelines for WTORS designers (20k.pdf)
- Sec. VIII- Future Additions of RPJ2249 (9k.pdf)
- Sec.IX- Appendices (59k.pdf)
- A-Reference Standards, Laws and Regulations
- B-Glossary of Terms
- C-List of Participant Organizations, Companies and Individuals
This site has been developed and is maintained by:
The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Wheeled Mobility and the RERC on Wheelchair Transportation Safety. Both RERCs are sponsored by grants from the National Institute on Disability Research and Rehabilitation (NIDRR), Washington, D.C.