Wheelchair Diffusion Blog

On any given day you can find a story in some local newspaper regarding a powerwheeler who went on-roading and wound up nearly simulating roadkill. Power wheelchair speeds have certainly changed. For years the average speed was somewhere around 4.5 mph. Many scooters and chairs can now 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.

The road is a faster and harder environment. It is visually more demanding and hazards are further compounded by poor weather and darkness. In most cases your wheelchair technology was not designed to be on the road and certainly wasn’t meant to compete with road worthy vehicles. You don’t even have a collapsible bumper in front of you. All you have are collapsible feet and legs. Have you ever seen what they look like after a 15 mph love tap? I have!

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. Don’t believe it? Just park next to a 16 wheeler or a bus and have a look around. Makes one humble it does. You have also gone from rabbit to turtle. Even at 10 mph you are molasses compared to any of your road neighbors.

Gone stealth-
On the sidewalk there were very few competitors who could obscure you. That machine of yours was big enough and loud enough to be spotted blocks away. As a Roadie you take on some stealth characteristics. Everything around you obscures you. That noisy wheel bearing of yours can’t begin to compete with the noise of the cross-town bus. That “polite” little thing you call a horn is never going to get the attention of the soccer mom with an SUV full of noisy kids and a chirping cellphone. Finding yourself locked between two vehicles, of almost any size, will surely lock you out of view.

At night things get even worse. You are harder to see and those small stick on reflectors may not work to well from a distance, the wrong angle, in the rain and snow, or when covered with 1/4 of an inch of dust and mud. That’s right, dust and mud. I know your wheelchair when I see it. Most likely you have no running lights and you 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 is not a problem. No one is going to see it anyway at night.

If you must be a roadie-

• 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. 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 DOT.

Here’s a sample from Asheville, NC-

Use of Motorized Wheelchairs—–(20-175.5)
Persons with a mobility impairment who operate a motorized wheelchair (or similar vehicle not exceeding 1000 pounds gross weight) are subject to all regulations, and privileges, provided to any other pedestrian.

Some tips on making your on-roading a little safer-
Here are some tips for those who have no choice but to on-road regularly. I’m not trying to get you to spend money which you probably don’t have. I’m just trying to stack the survival odds in your favor. Anyway, I heard that your birthday will be coming around sometime this year. Think about putting some of these on your list.

If you don’t have a seat belt on your wheelchair then 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 to wide for doorways (which it will), then get a mirror that folds. The one in the image is manufactured by Mirrycle Corporation and has 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 4 individual Life Brite lights. These are the same LED lights that truckers use on their rigs and motorcyclists put on their 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. A fluorescent bicycle flag with at least a 6 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. 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.