Power Wheelchair On-Roading

You might like taking shortcuts around sidewalk traffic and using your power chair on the road, but-for safety’s sake-adapt your chair!

By Ziggi Landsman

For years the average power wheelchair speed was somewhere around 4.5 mph. Nowadays, many scooters and chairs can pump out close to 7 or 8 mph with a number of them getting to 10 mph and above.

Some other things haven’t changed. Many areas still do not have good curb cuts (or any), or for that matter there may be no sidewalks at all. Then there is human nature. That hasn’t changed either. You have the ability to do 10 mph; you, therefore, want to, and you can’t get it done on some crowded sidewalk full of human obstacles. Granted, not the best reason for on-roading, but . . .

Regardless of the reason—poor accessibility or the need for speed—once you decide to put wheels to road, you are in a whole new world that is much more dangerous and much less forgiving. In order to stack the odds against becoming roadkill you need to change some of your thinking and some of your technology.

Fat Cat to Little Mouse

Back on the sidewalk your power wheelchair was the fat cat. It was one of the biggest and fastest machines on the walk. On the road, you are nothing more than a little mouse. You have also gone from rabbit to turtle. Even at 10 mph, you are molasses compared to any of your road neighbors.

On the sidewalk there were very few competitors who could obscure you. On the road, you’re often in the shadows of much bigger vehicles. At night things get even worse. You are even harder to see. Most likely you have no running lights and are all covered up in a large dark poncho so that you can stay warm and dry. That really cool dark wheelchair color that you just had to have? No one is going to see it at night anyway.

If You Must Be a Roadie

If none of this scare-talk will keep you on the sidewalk, then at least pay attention to these precautions:

• Buckle up!
• Don’t jump out in traffic from between parked vehicles or other large obstructions.
• Don’t weave in and out of moving traffic.
• Don’t think that traffic devices are not meant for you.
• Park the road rage at home. Most drivers don’t know how to react to a wheelchair on the road.
• Stay alert and don’t assume that everyone will cut you slack because you are in a wheelchair.
• Get off of the road as soon as you can.
• Play by the rules.

That last bit of advice is extra important. You are not in a motor vehicle. The rules that apply are similar to those for pedestrians. Most states allow for conditions where no sidewalk exists. If you want to be sure, check with your local police or Department of Transportation (DOT).

Safe On-Roading Accessories

If you don’t have a seat belt on your wheelchair get one. Most accidents involving wheelchairs are low speed. The chair almost always gets knocked over. Rolling around in the middle of the road may put you in the path of yet another vehicle. This time you won’t have the wheelchair to protect you.

Wear a helmet! Your head has no protection in a wheelchair. In the event of an accident, your head is your airbag. Protect it! Check out the real bicycle roadies. They all wear helmets.

Increase the ability to see around you. Get at least one mirror for your wheelchair. Since you will be staying to the right side of the road, you may want to place it on your left side. A bicycle mirror works fine and can be clamped to the frame or armrest of your wheelchair. If you are worried about the mirror sticking out and making your chair too wide for doorways (which it will), then get a mirror that folds. Mirrycle Corporation (www.mirrycle.com) makes an attachment with a retractable arm and mirror. If you are wise enough to use a helmet, then you can get the kind that mount right to the helmet.

Make sure drivers can see you, especially at night. One of the best ways to do this is to have running lights installed on your wheelchair. True, most manufacturers do not make lights for their wheelchairs. Well, you don’t need the manufacturer for this. Purchase four individual Life Brite lights (www.lifebrite.com). These are the same LED lights that truckers use on their rigs and motorcyclists put ontheir bikes. They use very little juice, are twice as bright as car tail lights, can run off of your chair battery, and last almost forever. You can place one on each side of your chair using red for the back and sides and white for the front just like a car. They can be installed by your local car mechanic or any other person with some electrical knowledge. You will have to add an on/off switch and a fuse. Remember, these are not used to help you see. They are used to help you be seen.

Another good safety item is a flag (www.besafeinc.com/bikeflag.shtml)-a fluorescent bicycle flag with at least a six-foot fiberglass pole. Most likely you are a bit over four feet tall in your wheelchair. That’s real hard to see over SUV’s and even over small cars. These are especially handy when approaching a busy intersection. Drivers turning onto your road may not see you. There may be visual obstructions such as parked cars and snowbanks that are taller and hide you from view. A flag increases your chance of being spotted.

Get a real horn! Those things the manufacturers call horns can’t get attention in a library. There are lots of horns out there, battery operated, rechargeable, and air-powered. They are the same ones that are used by cyclists and can be purchased in hundreds of places online or at your local bicycle shop.

Last on the list: Use your head for more than an air bag. Be alert and stay safe, and don’t on-road unless you have to.

Ziggi Landsman, director of Assistive Technology, is creator and manager of Web site USATechGuide.org and blog, Wheelchair Diffusion, from which this article was adapted.