Requires vehicles equipped with wheelchair lifts to have safety belts that are used to secure individuals in wheelchairs while being lifted from or into a vehicle

BILL NUMBER:S1502

Title of bill

An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to wheelchair transfer safety

Purpose

Any vehicle that is equipped with a wheelchair lift shall also be equipped with a safety belt that shall be used to secure individuals in wheel chairs while they are being lifted from or into such vehicle.

Summary of provisions

Section 375 of the vehicle and traffic law is amended as defined in the bill.

Justification

Recent fatal accidents involving wheelchair bound individuals being improperly transferred from vehicles without the use of a safety belt have brought attention to the issue of wheelchair transfer safety. Ninety-year-old Nancy Deffaa was wheelchair bound. She fell from a transportation vehicle for wheelchairs after being placed in the open doorway of the vehicle without a safety belt. She fell from her wheelchair to the ground breaking bones in both her legs and arms. After two weeks of severe pain Nancy Deffaa died. Volunteer or municipal ambulances, invalid coaches, and any motor vehicle intended for livery service should be designed to maximize the safety and mobility of the individuals who depend on those services. If Nancy Deffaa was wearing a safety belt her injuries, pain, and death may have been prevented. By requiring that any vehicle that is equipped with a wheelchair lift also be equipped with a safety belt, we can help prevent accidents like Nancy's from happening to anyone else.

Legislative history

2006: A.11063 Referred to Transportation 2007: A.686 Referred to Transportation 2008: A.686 Referred to Transportation 2011-12: S.2151 Referred to Transportation 2013-14: S.489 Referred to Transportation

Fiscal implications

To be determined.

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.