Memorandum - NHTSA

111-3
NHTSA's large scale, nationally representative accident data bases (FARS, NASS) do not revc :a1
any bus lift accidents or injuries as these data systems are used to record accident, injury and
fatality information for vehicles in transport. Since lifts are operated only when the vehicle is not
in transport, lift accidents and injuries are excluded from these databases.
The agency reviewed the 1991-1995 WC user injury data from the Consumer Product Safety
Commission, National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (MISS). This is considered to be
a nationally representative database. Out of 7,121 WC injuries involving motor vehicles as
shown in Tables 111-1 and 111-2,48percent involved vans and 12 percent involved buses (e.g.,
school buses, transit buses and OTRB). The motor vehicle injury incidence types involving U Cs
were as follows: 35 percent were WC securement related, 26 percent involved collisions with i
motor vehicle, 19 percent (1,366/7,12 1) were lift related, 15 percent were related to transfemng
to and from a WC and 6 percent were ramp related.
The wheelchair lift-related injuries predominantly happen on lift-equipped vans (71 percent
97211,366) and buses (19 percent 266/1,366). While passenger cars were involved in about (8
percent 111/1366) of the incidents, and ambulances/ambulettes were involved in (1 percent
17/1366) of the incidents. For these lift-related motor vehicle incidents, 3.1 percent resulted irl
serious injuries while 69.5 percent were moderate and 27.3 percent were minor. Over 95 perccnt
of WC incidents were reported in the category of "released without treatment," while the other 5
percent were hospitalized. For ramps, 90 percent of the incidents involved vans and 10 percen t
automobiles.