What is a Wheel stop? If you come across this word for the first time, then it may sound strange. Wheel stops is nothing but a long block of concrete, wood or any such material that is mainly used to impede or reduce the speed of fast moving vehicles on the road. They are also known as tire stops, parking bumpers or parking stops. These are mostly utilized in the parking lots and parking spaces for the vehicles to slow down and park the vehicles in the right position at the right place. This is mainly meant for use with four wheelers from cars to heavy duty trucks, automobiles and planes.
They provide low impact resistance when parking a slow moving cars and light vehicles and thus cause no unnecessary frictional damage to the rubber body. They are effectively suitable for both outdoor and indoor car parking lots. Recently, there have been many improvements in structural design and changes in the composite material that was being used to construct these utility pieces.
More about Wheel Stops
Brief description and specifications of some standard wheel stops are given below:
- Rubber wheel stops - These are economical as they consist of just one piece of rubber with standard yellow panels. They are manufactured from recycled materials and these are most suited for use in factories, warehouses, car parks etc. These are standard designs and very simple to install and use.
- Plastic wheel stops – These are grey in color and are economical and simple to install. They are solid molds from recycled extra strength plastic materials that doesn’t chip or corrode. These are also suited for use in factories, warehouses, car parks etc. They are cheap and dispensable alternatives.
- Menni wheel stop - It has been developed and manufactured in Australia and doesn’t use any recycled material for its construction. It has a solid color and boasts of Ultra Violet stabilized high tech polythene construction. This type pf wheel stop is also light weight with incredible strength and it doesn’t fade, chip or warp on exposure to adversities.
- Concrete wheel stops - These have longer durability due to construction of precast concrete and can neither rust nor rot. These can be added with special units for greater impact and more rigorous requirements.
The advantages and applications of using these structures are many as shown above. At the same time there can be a few inadvertent disadvantages as well.
Several investigations into accidents have shown that an overwhelming majority of falls, tumbles and similar injuries occur when level of road changes. The presence of potholes, speed breakers, bumps etc. lead to surface irregularities which in turn cause falls and similar incidents. Sometimes, the lining up of wheel stops in the middle line between parking stalls may cause accidental bumps as these may protrude into pedestrian traffic areas by one foot or more when the cars are parked. If they are used adjacent to a marked pedestrian walkway, then the pedestrian walking over a line would be exposed to the trip and fall hazard. The presence of these at footpaths make pedestrians route unintentionally dangerous.
Safety due to Wheel stops or chocks
These chocks are structures that are wedges of sturdy materials that can be closely placed against a vehicle’s wheels. They are placed for safety to ensure zero movement of wheels in addition to setting of the brakes. These also have several uses in the tire industry. The mining industry uses them to protect lubrication trucks and heavy maintenance vehicles from slipping off. Bicycle and motorcycle chocks are bifurcated to support the bike and prevent its movements. If you want to know more about wheel stops then please keep in touch with us here.