[tri-med] Re: [tri-family] Re: HELP - Re: Collapsable Pediatric Wheelchair

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <pvictor@
>>even the ones that are crash tested are only crash tested at low
> speeds (like 20mph at the most I think it was??)...I thought that was 
> kinda
> wierd???

Its the differences between countries as well. Here in Australia you can 
take a rule of thumb that if a wheelchair folds or comes apart it CANNOT be 
used in a tiedown situation with the person in it. Which means that we have 
far less people using wheelchair accessible vehicles. In fact about the only 
people who use wheelchair accessible vehicles are those using power chairs. 
Everyone else transfers into a seat.

The main reason is that any point of fold or breakdown causes a point of 
weakness that may give way in an accident. Anything that is approved here 
has to pass crash testing in speeds in excess of 120kmh, front, back, side 
on collisions, roll overs and the list goes on. In fact to get a wheelchair 
passed usually takes 4 years or more by which time the designs have 
changed - so there are very few chairs which are passed.

Australian standards regarding wheelchair tie downs, car seats, harnesses 
and so on are much more stringent than the rest of the world which has its 
good and bad points.

"It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not 
how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving."
 ~ ~ Mother Teresa ~ ~

Keep Looking For Rainbows!!
   _--_|\
 /Karen \
 \ _.--._ /
          v Karen, Mum to Alex (10 years, T-18 Mosaic)
http://members.optushome.com.au/karens

                  Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
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