How to Operate a Wheelchair Safely Outdoors

Operating a standard or electric wheelchair requires balance and attention to detail. When operating a wheelchair outdoors, it's important to know the terrain as well as how to properly operate the wheelchair. It’s also helpful to know a few safety tips to keep your chair—and you—in good shape.

Part 1 - Avoiding Unsafe Surfaces

1

→ Stay on even surfaces. Uneven surfaces can make any wheelchair get off balance. Even when someone is pushing a wheelchair, an uneven surface can cause harm. Users and caregivers alike need to stick to slopes that only go up to a gradient of 20% and are dry, solid, and straight.

→ Avoid inclines, slopes, staircases, and curbs. Basically you want to make sure your wheelchair stays on flat ground.

2

→ Avoid sandy areas. Sand can build up on tires and cause a wheelchair to get off balance. Even a thin layer of sand on a concrete sidewalk can cause problems. If you see sand ahead, either try to avoid it or make sure someone nearby can help you clean the wheels as soon as you pass over it.

→ Try to go around a sandy patch of sidewalk.

→ Electric wheelchairs can actually tip over from the imbalance that sand creates.

3

→ Be aware of the weather. You should always check the weather before you leave the house in a wheelchair. Try to avoid going out if there is any sort of precipitation—rain, snow, sleet, and so on—because any of these will make surfaces slick. Puddles and flat areas covered in water are bad for any wheelchair. The water can get the entire chair wet, causing it to slide or spin and eventually tip over. If you see a puddle or it is raining heavily, either go around the puddle or wait until the rain is over.

→ If it’s raining and you want to go out to run an errand, have someone help you by carrying both you and the wheelchair to the car and inside the building at your destination.

→ If you have no one to assist you, use your wheelchair very slowly and carefully.

→ Be especially careful to inspect ramps in wet weather. You don’t want to slide or tip when going up or down an incline.

4

→ Stay away from holes. Avoid potholes when you operate your wheelchair outdoors. Holes in the ground, floor, or a ramp can make you lose your balance and tip over. Try to go around any holes that you see.

→ If there is a hole ahead of you, ask someone to help you steer around it.

→ If you’re alone and you need to go over a surface with a hole in it, proceed very slowly and try to steer around it.

Part 2 - Taking Precautions

1

→ Go cautiously up and down ramps. Even if the weather is good, you should carefully inspect ramps before going up or down. Make sure there are no uneven or slippery surfaces. You should also inspect the ramp for other obstacles like plants.

→ Ask for help in avoiding obstacles on a ramp.

→ For example, ask someone nearby to pull up obtrusive weeds or push grass out of the way.

→ Ask other for help in sweeping sand off of a ramp.

→ If you are pushing a wheelchair up a ramp, first check to see that the ramp is clear of obstacles. Then slowly advance, watching carefully to ensure that you don’t tip the chair over.

→ If you’re moving a wheelchair you’re sitting in up a ramp, lean forward for momentum after engaging the anti-tippers (if your chair is equipped with any).

2

→ Navigate off-road surfaces carefully. Not all wheelchairs are created equally. If you need to ride your wheelchair over grass, dirt, gravel, and so on, it might be better to have an all-terrain wheelchair. These chairs have wheels that are thicker than average and can stand up to adverse surface conditions.

→ If your wheelchair tires are thin and less suited to terrain, avoid off-road conditions as much as possible. Take precautions when you absolutely have to traverse over these surfaces.

→ Ask someone to push your chair so that you don't slip.

→ Clean off your tires as soon as you are over the surface.

3

→ Attach lights for nighttime use. At night, you need to make yourself visible. Attach flashing lights, reflectors, or flags to maintain a high profile. You will need these additions to your chair to avoid accidents in parking lots or along sidewalks.

→ You may be able to find these kinds of lights in the bicycle section of a big box store.

4

→ Maintain your wheelchair. You should take care of your wheelchair on a weekly basis. You may want to take it in to a repair shop to have it serviced once a year. For example, a sign that you need new casters is a vibration from side to side when your chair is going fast. This is called “shimmy.” A very bad shimmy can cause a wheelchair to tip over.

→ New casters can cost anywhere from $35 to $100.

→ Wipe down the wheels when you get home from being out in the rain. This prevents rust on metal parts.

→ Check the air pressure if you have air tires each time you go out. Replace cracked or worn-out tires as soon as you see them.

→ Check your brakes and for loose bolts once a month.

5

→ Make sure all your accessories are contained. Don’t hang heavy bags on the back of your wheelchair. Not only will this upset your center of gravity when you’re in the chair, but it may cause the chair to tip over when you are getting in or out.

→ Instead, hold heavy bags in your lap or ask someone to assist you.

6

→ Follow traffic safety signs. Be sure to consider yourself as a pedestrian and follow basic traffic laws. Follow all painted crosswalks, pedestrian traffic light laws, and so on. Most cities in the United States have their own laws about how wheelchairs are allowed, but most places allow wheelchairs on the sidewalk.

→ Do not ride your wheelchair on roadways.

7

→ Fully charge an electric chair. If you are going on a trip longer than a few days, you should make sure that your electric wheelchair is fully charged before you leave. Also take time to measure the range of your battery before leaving the house.

Part 3 - Sitting Safely in a Wheelchair

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→ Lock brakes when entering or exiting the chair. Making sure your chair doesn’t move while you’re getting in or out of it is important. You don’t want to roll. Also make sure that electric chairs are turned off when getting in or out. This prevents the chair getting away from you.

2

→ Find your center of gravity. When beginning to use a wheelchair, it is important to find your center of gravity so that you don’t have accidents. Move around in the chair to get a feel for where you have the most balance.

→ Bend, reach for items, and get in and out of the chair in order to find your center of gravity.

3

→ Avoid bending forward or backward. To avoid tipping over in your wheelchair, try not to lean far forward or backward. In order to obtain an object that is out of reach, roll your chair as close as you can. Then reach for the object as far as you can without changing where you’re sitting in the chair.

TIPS

→ There are specific types of wheels that are excellent for outdoor use, either on pavement or gravel. Talk to a wheelchair dealer to find the wheels you need.

→ Besides wheelchairs, some rollators (walkers) are specifically made for outdoor use. Read your manual for safety precautions.

→ Wear a seatbelt if your wheelchair is equipped with one.

→ Use the footrest on the wheelchair to help maintain balance. Be sure to move it out of the way when getting in or out of the chair.

→ If you are adding lights to your wheels, but don't want the standard orange reflectors, you can get fairy lights specifically designed for bike wheels.They come in multiple colors, and improve your safety!

Warnings

→ Don’t sit on the edge of the wheelchair seat. Sitting like this can disrupt your balance and make it easy to tip over.