Document Type

Conference Paper

Publication Date

2010

Subject Area

Mobility - Mobility aid, Mobility - Wheelchair

Abstract

The Motor Vehicle Safety Act was enacted in Canada in 1971, following a similar Act in the United States, enacted in 1966. The Act regulates the manufacture of vehicles and authorizes the research, development and enforcement of safety standards in areas of occupant protection, crash avoidance, vehicle crash performance, etc., to save lives, prevent injuries and to avoid damage to property and the environment. The safety standards between Canada (CMVSS) and the United States (FMVSS) are largely harmonized, but they are generally not compatible with other countries such as Europe, although European vehicle manufacturers are accustomed to manufacturing vehicles for each market. There is also an ongoing effort by governments towards global harmonization. However, due the increasing number of import applications, Transport Canada (TC) is beginning to see a surge of low priced vehicles approaching the North American market from rapidly developing countries, such as India and China, where the marketers appear to be ready, but the vehicles are not yet designed to meet North American safety standards. This situation includes adaptive vehicles. The Act requires that all new vehicles manufactured in Canada, and all vehicles imported into Canada, be designed and tested at the point of manufacture to comply with all applicable Canadian federal safety standards. This includes vehicles built or modified to accommodate wheelchairs and other adaptive equipment. To manufacture adaptive vehicles in Canada for the purpose of sale, or to import an adaptive vehicle(s) into Canada, the manufacturer or importer must initially present TC with all applicable test records and certification documents to demonstrate that the vehicles comply with federal standards. In the case of imported vehicles, this requires the foreign manufacturer to have engineering expertise familiar with Canadian regulations. This is beginning to materialize in countries like China where the government is becoming more involved, for example, by issuing World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) numbers to qualified vehicle manufacturers, to compose a legitimate vehicle identification number (VIN), as required by North American federal standards. Transport Canada continuously monitors companies that manufacture or import accessible vehicles to ensure that the vehicles built, modified and imported for the disabled comply with federal safety standards. Monitoring includes enforcement activities and legal measures. Although, disabled vehicle owners, like the general public, may not really understand federal standards, they expect the federal government to verify that their expensive modified vehicle complies with all regulations. This office also works closely with the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) in the United States and with the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) in both countries, to facilitate compliance in the adaptive vehicle industry. In addition to enforcement, this office is on an ongoing mission to establish communication systems between original vehicle manufacturers and modifiers, which ensure a more professionally built, safer vehicle for the disabled user. Transport Canada considers the balance between cost and safety in developing all regulations, and TC has also conducted studies that show safety advantages outweigh the additional cost of certifying vehicles modified for the disabled, including foreign imports.

Rights

Permission to publish abstract given by TRANSED, copyright remains with them.