Learn how to stay safe, reduce risks and build confidence using your wheelchair with our essential wheelchair safety tips.
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The information and guidance on the Whizz Kidz Hub are for information and educational purposes only. We make no guarantees that the information is complete, safe, or suitable for every individual. Children and young people should be supervised when accessing or attempting any activities shown. We accept no liability for any injury, loss or damage arising from its use.
Wheelchair safety is all about setting yourself up for success. By learning some basic rules and routines, you – and those around you – will know you’ve got a secure foundation for developing your wheelchair skills..
This guide covers both manual and powered wheelchairs. It’s packed full of simple and clear steps for checking things like correct positioning, manoeuvring with care, and protecting yourself from long-term injury. If you’re looking for more thorough information on looking after your wheelchair, you can find that guide here.
This is the first in a series of guides we’ve created to help you build basic and advanced wheelchair skills.
A wheelchair that isn’t set up or used correctly can cause discomfort, poor posture, or even accidents such as tipping. A damaged chair can be dangerous to you and the people around you. A lot of the information here may seem like common sense, but most wheelchair-related accidents can be avoided by being aware of safety.
To help you feel even more confident and in control of your wheelchair, you might be interested in working on your wheelchair skills. Developing strong wheelchair skills can equip you with the skills to look after both yourself and your chair so your setup can carry on working well for as long as possible.
Most of the things to be aware of when considering wheelchair safety are fairly universal, but there are some aspects which will be specific to manual or powered wheelchair users. The next section will outline some specific things it can be helpful for all wheelchair users to be aware of when considering wheelchair safety.
It’s really important to note that if you’re worried your wheelchair isn’t suitable, there is something that doesn’t feel right, or if the set-up is no longer appropriate, you can request a review from your wheelchair provider.
Feeling comfortable and secure in your wheelchair starts with getting the seating position right. Whether you use a manual or powered wheelchair, you’re aiming to find a position that’s comfortable and enables you to be in control. To help you check your position, you might want to use a tall mirror or ask an adult for help.
Your hips should be positioned well back in the seat with the backrest providing firm support. Slouching forward or leaning too far to one side can be uncomfortable and cause tipping. It is important to use any positioning aids that your wheelchair is fitted with (including lap belts) to help you achieve the best position to use your wheelchair safely.
If you are struggling to achieve this with your current setup, you may be able to adjust your backrest or any positioning aids, including headrests and lateral supports, to make improvements.
It is best for your feet to always be secure on the footplates, not in the air or hanging to the side, especially when you are moving. If you find this tricky, it might be worth looking into positioning supports that may help, such as calf or foot straps.
If possible, your thighs should be making good contact with the entire length of the seat cushion whilst your feet are flat on the footplate. The correct length of seat cushion will leave a small gap between the edge of the cushion and behind your knees while you’re sitting as far back as possible.
You can sit in the chair to check that the footplate is in the right position. If not, you or an adult can make slight adjustments to the footplate to get it into the perfect place. If the length of the cushion appears to be wrong then you will need to seek further advice.
Once you’re positioned safely and comfortably in your chair you’re ready to set off, but you need to make sure it’s safe before moving off. Always check your surroundings for obstacles, including any people, pets or hazards which might get in the way and make sure that you continue being aware of your environment as you move.
It is very important to make sure that you are travelling at an appropriate speed for the environment you are in. This means that you will be able to stop in time if you encounter any hazards. Moving slowly in enclosed or busy spaces will help you to avoid any accidents.
Manual wheelchairs without any power attachments can only go as fast as they are pushed, so you normally won’t find yourself going too fast. The main exception to this is likely to be when you are travelling downhill. When going down slopes you don’t need to push, but grip your pushrims to slow down your wheelchair – it’s best to keep both hands on your wheels at all times if you can. If the hill or slope is particularly steep you can try going down it using a zig-zag pattern to reduce the gradient.
Powered chairs usually have adjustable speed settings. When you’re starting out with your wheelchair, we recommend starting on the lowest speed, especially if
you’re indoors or around other people. Powered wheelchairs can be big, and it can take time to get used to what you are and aren't able to see - especially behind you.
Over time you'll get the hang of it and, as your skills and confidence grow, you can try increasing your speed, as long as you remain in control.
There are many situations where stopping can be important for your safety, and it somewhat depends on the type of wheelchair you use. As powerchairs are often a little bit bigger and heavier, and can often move quite quickly, they can be slower to stop, but once they are stationary their brakes kick in automatically.
To stop your powerchair as quickly as possible, simply let go of the controls. Be aware there will be a little bit of time between letting go and your chair stopping. We call this its ‘stopping distance’. It is useful to get to know what this distance is for your chair when you are travelling at different speeds so that you know when you will need to let go in order to stop where you want to.
If you are stopped for a longer period of time, consider whether it would be a good idea to turn your wheelchair off so that no one accidentally bumps into your controls and moves your chair.
For manual wheelchairs, you can stop quickly by gripping the pushrims tightly – your chair’s brakes aren’t used to slow the chair, but to keep it secured after you’ve stopped.
When your brakes are on, your wheels should be very difficult to move. If your wheels are still moving with brakes on then you might need to pump up your tyres (if they’re not solid rubber ones) or adjust the position of your brakes.
Always put your brakes on while getting in and out of your wheelchair and while on moving buses/trains. This stops the chair from moving unexpectedly, and you from falling. It is also important that anyone who is helping you to use your chair knows how to apply the brakes.
It can be tricky to put your brakes on whilst you are part-way up or down a hill. The best way to stop on a hill is to turn so that you are facing sideways and put your brakes on. This gives you double security that you aren’t going to accidentally start rolling down. When you’re ready to try handling steeper hills on your own, check out our advanced skills guides for more tips.
Navigating kerbs can be tricky at times, especially where dropped kerbs are not easy to find, or pavements are very narrow. Wherever possible, it is best to use the side of the pavement that is furthest away from the kerb. Not only does this keep you away from traffic, but where there is a camber in the pavement it is often less steep on the inside of the pavement.
If you are crossing a road, it is important to know where you are going to get up on the pavement on the other side, usually by seeking out a dropped kerb on the opposite side of the road.
Sometimes there aren’t any dropped kerbs. If you use a manual wheelchair you may be able to get support from someone to get up a kerb or develop the skills to do this on your own. We cover this in our back-wheel balance module.
If you use a powered wheelchair, you may need to stay on the same side of the road until you can find a safer place to cross. In some situations, where this is not possible you might need to travel on the road, next to the pavement for a short period of time. It is important that you only do this where absolutely necessary, that you stay on the right hand side of the road unless there is a corner so that any cars can see you, and that you get back onto pavement as soon as you can.
Manual wheelchairs are pushed by you or another person. Some people use a ‘power-assist’ device to make pushing a manual wheelchair easier, which will have its own separate safety advice.
For those who use a manual wheelchair long-term, shoulder health is really important. Your shoulders are used for all of your daily activities which include pushing the wheelchair, and transferring in and out of it, as well as reaching things you need. This means that maintaining shoulder health is really important.
Seating position and pushing technique are very important for shoulder health. If you aren't able to push as hard as you need to, or your shoulders are forced to move around too much with each push, this can mean that your shoulder muscles could get damaged earlier in life.
Powered add-ons and attachments can be really useful for long or hilly journeys as they take strain off of your shoulders when getting around.
Stability is about where your weight is mostly leaning. If it leans too much in one way or another, your chair can fall over. Stability can be affected by your chair setup, your body position and your movements.
Lots of manual wheelchairs have ‘anti-tips’ which are positioned underneath the backrest, between the two back wheels. These stop your chair from tipping backwards too far if you become unstable. They are really helpful for helping you get used to what different body positions do to your stability in your wheelchair.
If you are planning on practicing any of the skills from our back-wheel balance programme, you will need to take the anti-tips off of your wheelchair. It is really important that you practice these skills with the support of an adult who is able to support you to ensure your safety. Aids such as spotting straps can help with this until you are confident and consistent in your skills.
Asking for help when we're not sure something is right is really important. If you're not sure you know how to do something safely, or you want to double check before you try to fix something it is always better to ask for help than to make something worse.
Knowing when to seek help is part of staying safe. As your experience grows, so will your confidence, which will only improve your ability to experience and enjoy the world.
The more you use your wheelchair, the more confident you’ll become. Most accidents and incidents involving wheelchair users can be avoided, as long as you’re cautious and use some common sense.
Here’s a reminder of what we’ve covered:
Now that you’ve begun your journey, here are some more things you might want to learn about.
Improving your everyday wheelchair skills:
Getting the most out of your wheelchair:
The skills guides are based on our wheelchair skill training courses. The content has been checked by qualified professionals to ensure they are accurate.
Learn how to safely and confidently move forward in a wheelchair. Get step-by-step guidance for new wheelchair users written by experts.
