Travelling Safely by Car - Part 2

 
With the power-knot-system safer
transport from A to B © BGWw

But which kind of principle is used for the power-knot-system?

"The power-knot is the mathematically calculated, optimal point on the wheel chair which leads the force during an accident to the bottom of the car”, explained Matthias Wilhelm. These are robust spots that can be equipped with adapter pieces, loops and belt tongues during manufacturing in the factory or later. "The system facilitates a simple, quick fastening of the wheel chair without trouble. The construction with the pelvic- and the diagonal belt prevent the so called submarining effect and the flick knife-effect”, he explains.

 
Wheelchair driver should not
be transported like this
© BGW

Submarining is the effect when the body in a wheel chair drifts during an impact to the front and slips underneath the pelvic belt. "Because of the firm anchoring point on the power-knot-system the belt lies exactly on the pelvic-bone. Injuries of the abdomen can be avoided. During the flick knife-effect the head hits the knees. The power-knot-system prevents this with a shoulder oblique belt”, says Matthias Wilhelm.

Different tests showed that the "power-knot-system is momentarily the best you can get. It suits almost all wheel chairs. Comparing the safety of wheel chair users with normal passengers research is still lagging behind 20 to 30 years. The power-knot-system has not been established on the market: if you have a look on the number of the transport services who use this system, you probably come up to 0.5 to one per cent”, Matthias Wilhelm comments the situation. This is mainly due to the high costs in order to buy the system: 330 € for the power-knot-system plus 80 € for its installation. For electrical wheel chairs the costs are about 580 €.

 
Security has its price: between 400 and
580 Euro costs the power-knot-system
including installation © BGW

Who takes over the costs?

The aspect of who is going to take over the costs is not clarified. According to a judgement of the Administrative Court in Stuttgart, Germany from January 13 in 2004 the costs for the power-knot-system must be paid by the health insurances. But another social court refused a request on reimbursement on August 19, 2005.

This judement did not keep the charity Lebenshilfe Chemnitz (translated: life aid association Chemnitz) from equipping all transport service vehicles according to the DIN norm. "The health insurance companies, except the Gmünder Ersatzkasse, don't pay the costs for conversion”, explains Dr. Peter Weber from Lebenshilfe Chemnitz. Most of the health insurances refuse the installation of the power-knots. But travelling by car for handicapped people would be safer, "if the the DIN was declared an obligation for all”, summarizes Dr. Weber.

REHACARE.de

- To the beginning of the article
- More information on the power-knot-system from the BGW at: www.bgw-online.de