Keeping wheelchair passengers safe through proper use of "Bunny Belts"

Postural Support Belts, Anterior Trunk Belts, and Bunny Belt... the technical terms surrounding these devices are seemingly endless.  The name associated with this device is not of great importance, however what kind, when and where it is applied to your motorized and manual wheelchair passengers makes all the difference. Here's why;

Bunny Belts should always be applied to the passenger upon initial contact, after verifying the passenger’s identity and destination. The moment a Paratransit driver takes begins to wheel the passenger in a forward motion, they have assumed legal responsibility for that individual. The front, smaller caster style wheels on a wheelchair often become hung up on cracks, debris, or rocks resulting the passenger to come to an immediate STOP. Due to a lack of abdominal muscles to stop themselves, your passenger will end up being ejected forward out of the chair onto the ground if an ADA-Compliant Postural Support Belt has not been applied. Again, it is important to remember that although the incident did not occur on-board the vehicle you may still be liable for their injuries.

Now that we have discussed important role Pelvic Postural Belts play in passenger safety prior to transport, lets take a look their benefits inside the vehicle.

RESNA, the Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America states, “In general postural supports are not designed to provide effective occupant restraint in a motor vehicle crash.” (RESNA, 2012), however “…when postural supports enable upright posture, injuries from transportation restraints may be significantly decreased”. Working in the industry, we know you’ve seen it all. Passengers sliding forward in their chair with no footrest to hold them in place, bariatric passengers coupled with an aid unable to lift and correct their positioning, etc.

While we as transportation providers cannot control what equipment our passengers are outfitted with (or without), through the use of a Bunny Belt we are able to provide our passengers the support necessary to keep them safe.

Thanks for reading and happy transporting!