For those who do not know, a category M1 vehicle is designed for the transport of people and has a maximum of 8 seats, excluding the driver’s seat.
To meet the minimum regulatory safety conditions, the theoretical weight of each disabled passenger in a wheelchair taken into account for the load distribution calculation and the resistance tests of seat belts / approved wheelchair restraint systems (according to ISO-10542) is 160 kg/passenger. Or 85kg for the weight of the wheelchair + 75kg for the weight of the passenger. And the theoretical weight of other “able-bodied” passengers (as well as the driver) is 75 kg/person.
But in natural conditions of use, it is evident that the actual weight can vary from one passenger to another, more or less compared to the average theoretical values taken into account for the calculations and the tests. Search for transfer seat bases
So, you know everything about this authorized weight calculation! But we also wish to remind you of specific rules, very important to respect when taking the road with a TPMR vehicle.
Respect The MMA (Or PTAC) Of The Vehicle
The automobile manufacturers and the highway code recommend that any driver of a road vehicle (trucks, cars equipped or not) must respect the MMA – maximum technically permissible laden mass – of his vehicle. Previously called the PTAC. This admissible mass has been determined beforehand by the manufacturer as a function of the maximum permissible masses of the axles.
In other words, the total laden weight (actual weight of the vehicle at a given time) must never exceed the maximum authorized load (MMA) indicated in section F1 of the vehicle registration document. For a car or minibus fitted out for a person in a wheelchair, you can calculate this total loaded weight like this:
The weight of the empty vehicle (which you can find in field G1 of the vehicle registration document) + the total weight of the passengers (driver included) + the weight of the load (the mass of the wheelchairs must be taken into account as a load).
Here is an example of calculation of maximum payload [CU] with an MMA of 3500 Kg (F1) and a curb weight [PV] of 2727 Kg (G1), knowing that CU = MMA (F1) – PV (G1).
The calculation is therefore: CU = 3500 – 2727 = 773 Kg.
Here, the total weight on board (i.e., CU = weight of passengers + driver + wheelchairs + luggage) must not exceed 773kg.
