Motorized Wheelchair & Safety Articles

Those who use motorized wheelchairs need to know the risk factors of motorized wheelchair usage as well as the benefits. Articles provide information on safety issues regarding the use and maintenance of motorized wheelchairs.

Choosing Motorized Wheelchairs

• A 2003 in-depth paper on AssistGuide entitled "Power Wheelchairs and User Safety" explains the different types of motorized wheelchairs. The paper also addresses safety issues with regard to motorized wheelchair use.

  The 2006 Wheelchariot.com article "Safety of Electric Wheelchairs" goes into the need to match the consumer's degree of limitation with the correct motorized wheelchair and how to assess the risk factors involved in the choice.

User Safety

• A 2003 article from the National Institute for Rehabilitation Engineering (NIRE) entitled "Power Wheelchairs and User Safety" shares "many ... power wheelchair safety issues, including the user's safe transportation in the power wheelchair, in a wheelchair van--as passenger or driver." The article goes into detail about different configurations of motorized wheelchairs and how to use each safely.

Fire Safety

• A 2004 article from the National Institute for Rehabilitation Engineering (NIRE) entitled "Power Wheelchairs and Residential Fire Safety" details safety issues like fire hazards in connection with motorized wheelchair use, especially in multi-unit dwellings. Building managers are its intended audience.