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Ohio Laws and Rules
The following definitions apply to rules 3304-6-01 to 3304-6-15 of the Administrative Code.
(A) “Accessible” means the property of being able to be reached, operated, and maintained by the user of the equipment.
(B) “Actuator” means any mechanism for controlling or moving a component indirectly or at a distance from the input, for example, a remote control device, power door opener, power parking brake.
(C) “A.D.E.D.” means the association of driver rehabilitation specialists. Formerly the association of driver educators for the disabled.
(D) “Anchorage” means the final point of attachment for transferring seat belt assembly or wheelchair tie-down loads (modified from SAE J394).
(E) “Automotive adaptive device” means a piece of equipment designed to enable a person with a disability to operate an automotive vehicle.
(F) “Automotive adaptive equipment” means any device or mechanism which permits a person with a disability to gain or regain driving capability and use a vehicle safely and independently.
(G) “Back-up” means any device which duplicates or otherwise fulfills the function of another if the latter fails or becomes inoperative.
(H) “Bevel” means the trim ring around a gauge or control.
(I) “CDRS” means certified driver rehabilitation specialist, an A.D.E.D. certification.
(J) “Certified,” when referring to an individual, means an individual who has been trained in a specific skill or field and has been awarded a certificate in recognition of his/her demonstrated proficiency in that skill or field. “Certified,” when referring to a product, means the written, signed statement of a supplier attesting that a product meets a specified standard of construction, performance, method of processing, etc.
(K) “Control interface” means a component (such as a knob, level, tri-pin) that is used to actuate a control.
(L) “Converter” means a company that is engaged in the process of modifying minivans, so that the floor is lowered from that of the vehicle as originally manufactured.
(M) “Crashworthiness” means the degree to which the interior of a vehicle, devices installed in the passenger compartment, and the structure of the vehicle as a whole are designed to minimize injury to an occupant in the event of a crash.
(N) “Display” means a device that imparts information to a person for the purpose of operating a piece of equipment.
(O) “Driver rehabilitation specialist” means a qualified individual who measures a person’s ability to safely operate a vehicle, teaches that individual to operate the equipment, and prescribes the automotive adaptive equipment necessary to permit a person with a disability to drive safely and independently.
(P) “Dynamic” means active, moving, changing, as opposed to static.
(Q) “Electronic gas & brake (EGB)” means a control system which activates the gas and brake; it is electrically power assisted.
(R) “FMVSS” means federal motor vehicle safety standards contained in federal regulations at 49 C.F.R. governing motor vehicle safety, promulgated and enforced by NHTSA.
(S) “Fourth door” means an additional (fourth) door installed on the driver’s side of the van.
(T) “Gauge” means the thickness of a sheet of metal, specifically the U.S. standard sheet metal gauge system. The thickness in this system varies from 0.0062 inch (38 gauge) to 0.5 inch (0 000 000 gauge).
(U) “Gross Axle Weight Rating” (GAWR) means the value specified by the vehicle manufacturer as the maximum weight allowable when a single axle of a fully loaded vehicle (all occupants, all cargo, full fuel tank) is weighed.
(V) “Gross Vehicle Weight Rating” (GVWR) means the value specified by the manufacturer as the maximum weight allowed when a fully loaded vehicle (all occupants, all cargo, full fuel tank) is weighed.
(W) “High tech van” means a category of vehicle modification currently consisting of three general control configurations. These include: unilever driving systems (joysticks); multi-axis remote steering wheel controls; and hydraulic/mechanical unilever driving systems.
(X) “Hydraulic” means operated, moved, or effected by means of a fluid under pressure.
(Y) “Inflatable restraint system” means a system consisting primarily of sensor(s), diagnostics, inflator(s), and module(s) which inflates a bag in certain vehicle crashes to assist in preventing the occupant(s) from impacting the interior frontal portion of the vehicle.
(Z) “Instrumentation” means devices for detecting and/or measuring some quality or state under observation.
(AA) “Integrated circuit” means a tiny complex of electronic components and their connections that is produced in or on a single slice of material such as silicon.
(BB) “Left foot accelerator” means a mechanical device that allows left foot operation of the accelerator.
(CC) “Low-effort steering system” means a system requiring less effort for operation than factory installed steering equipment, but more effort than a zero effort steering system, that is, between four and fifteen inch-pounds (in-lb).
(DD) “Maintainability” means design considerations directed toward accomplishing necessary maintenance quickly, safely, accurately, and effectively with minimum requirements for personnel, skills, special tools, and cost.
(EE) “NHTSA” means national highway traffic safety administration and is that part of the U.S. department of transportation that promulgates and enforces the FMVSS.
(FF) “NMEDA QAP” means national mobility equipment dealers association quality assurance program and is a certification program administered by NMEDA governing the quality of vehicle modification services.
(GG) “Original equipment manufacturer” (OEM) means the original automotive manufacturer producing the vehicle such as Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, etc.
(HH) “Parallel system” means, when referring to adaptive driving modifications, a system that controls a function without interference of the OEM control. As an example, a set of mechanical hand controls is installed parallel so that the driver with a disability can use the hand operated control, but the gas and brake pedals are still active and available for use by a driver who is not disabled.
(II) “Pneumatic” means using the power of compressed air or other gas to actuate or accomplish some function.
(JJ) “Powered seat base” means a seat base that provides additional seat travel to facilitate movement of the user to and from the seat. This includes the following: (1) two way transfer seat base, (2) four way transfer seat base, (3) six way transfer seat base, and (4) eight way transfer seat base.
(KK) “Processor” means any device which performs logical operations on information or input or otherwise operates on data, that is, essentially a dedicated purpose computer.
(LL) “Raised roof” means a modification to the OEM roof that replaces all or part of the sheet metal roof or modifies the OEM roof supports.
(MM) “Reliability” means the quality of being dependable in operation within the stated operational limits; probability that a system will perform a required function under specified conditions for a specified period or at a given time.
(NN) “Reduced-effort steering system” means a product or modification of a power steering system to lower the amount of effort required to steer a vehicle. This term includes both a low-effort steering system and a zero-effort steering system.
(OO) The “society of automotive engineers” (SAE) means the professional association of persons involved in the development of engineering practices and procedures in transportation.
(PP) “Servo” means a power device which amplifies control forces.
(QQ) “Semi-automatic wheelchair lift” means a wheelchair lift designed to be operated with an attendant present. The lift is characterized by a solid lift platform plus motorized raise and lower functions.
(RR) “Single point failure” means any failure that results in a hazard or that otherwise adversely affects the safe operation of the system.
(SS) “Steering devices” means a device attached to the steering wheel which allows rotation of the steering wheel with one hand, such as: (1) a spinner knob, (2) a tri-pin, (3) an amputee ring, (4) a palmer cuff, or (5) a steering cuff.
(TT) “Subsystem” means a combination of parts which performs an operational function within a system and is usually a major subdivision of that system.
(UU) “Unilever driving systems” or “joysticks” mean high tech driving systems that are used to apply throttle, brake, and steering inputs to the vehicle using a single control handle.
(VV) “Vacuum” means a space partially empty of air such that the pressure in the space is below that of the surrounding air; this pressure difference is used as a source of power.
(WW) “Vacuum gas and brake” (VGB) means a servo system powered by negative pressure (see “Servo”).
(XX) “Zero-effort steering system” means a system requiring less force for operation than a low-effort steering system (that is between 1.5 and 4.0 in-lb). While it is recognized that no system is actually “zero” effort, this is the term commonly used in the adaptive automotive industry to refer to systems requiring the amount of force noted here.
R.C. 119.032 review dates: 05/24/2007 and 05/24/2012
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 3304.15, 3304.16(A)
Rule Amplifies: 3304.16(H)
Prior Effective Dates: 05/10/1995, 06/03/2002