March 21, 2024

Your Complete Guide to Wheel Stops

Australian Road Convex Mirror

What are Wheel Stops?

Are you a parking lot owner and confused about what is a wheel stop? Do you have questions for wheel stops in mind and want to get their expert answers? This article explains everything about wheel stops to help you comprehend how they can make your on-street parking, overnight parking, and other parking facilities safe for all.

wheel stop installation

There are different names of wheel stops, including parking bumper, parking blocks, and car kerbs. The primary role of parking blocks is to prevent collisions and crashes between vehicles and other objects present in parking lots. A wheel stops works as a barrier between two parked vehicles or between a wall/any other object and a vehicle.

For best practice, it is advised to install wheel stops as part of a whole Car Park Safety Plan. These includes Convex Mirrors, Rubber Wall Guards and Speed Humps. A High-Vis, Brightly-Marked Car Park is one with less accidents, less upset drivers or complaints from poorly-protected Car Parking Spaces.

There are different parking stops for different parking options and parking services. Disabled parking lots have different requirements compared to the forklift parking zone. You should check the traits of parking stops thoroughly before you invest your time and money into them to install them on your parking site’s pavement.

What are the Main Types of Wheel Stops?

There are different types of car stops that differ from each other based on their material, dimensions, manufacturers, etc. If we consider the parking kerb materials, this tool can be divided into the main types explained below.

Recycled plastic wheel stops

These forms of traffic control devices are made up of plastic. It is a sturdy as well as flexible material. You can fix it to accessible parking garages, handicapped parking spaces, valet-parking areas, and reserved parking garages.

Concrete or Cement-Filled Wheel Stops

They are hard but come in only grey colour. However, you can paint them later according to your needs. These parking blocks damage vehicles when motorcycles, cars, buses, emergency vehicles, or oversized vehicles drive over them unintentionally. This damage occurs due to the lack of flexibility of concrete.

Rubber Wheel Stops

These rubber parking kerbs are flexible but still very sturdy. Rubber wheel stops for garage absorb the impact and prevent car tyre damage. When concrete and rubber parking stops are compared, concrete is considered better for the high traffic volume public parking area, while rubber is considered more suitable for low to moderate traffic volume parking space.

Pros & Cons of Different Wheel Stop Installations

Parking stops are important tools required for pedestrian and vehicular safety. They allow people to park their vehicles in the right direction and space. They also help with maintaining an appropriate distance between two vehicles parked in different lanes. Wheel stops offer many advantages, but they also have a few disadvantages. Read these pros and cons of wheel stops to learn more about their effectiveness.

Pros of Wheel Stops

  • Wheel stops can keep vehicles that are parked in your parking spots protected. When drivers know what the limit of their parking spot is, they do not go beyond that limit, which helps prevent the number of destructive collisions.
  • Parking stops also manage a self-parking structure by guiding drivers where exactly to park their vehicles.
  • They make event parking and visitor parking spots pedestrian-friendly by ensuring that pedestrians get enough space to walk in a parking lot.
  • Cars do not hit walls and kerbs when they have a barrier ahead of them, which prevents their forward movement. This keeps your private property intact and in good condition.
  • You can install rubber parking stops or remove a parking stopper on your own while following the parking stop installation standards. Installing or removing the tool on your own will help you save labour costs.

Cons of Installing Wheel Stops

  • Wheel stops that do not have reflective tape or stripes can become poorly visible at night. As a result, drivers may drive over them mistakenly and damage their vehicles.
  • They also increase the tripping hazard when they are installed in the pedestrian walking area. 

What Type of Wheel Stop is the Best?

The Highest Quality and Best Performing Wheel Stops are Made from High Density Plastic


While Rubber Wheel Stops certainly provide a low-cost option, Recycled Plastic Wheel Stops have the advantage of not crumbling, bending or slumping like Rubber Stops do. Best practice indicates that Wheel Stops should include a non-slip surface and a bright yellow, reflective panel to act as an additional driver warning. For Extra-Heavy Duty Protection, you can install cement-filled bollards in front of the Wheel Stop, which is ideal for retail stores where cars park close to glass panel shop fronts.

For the best permanent Wheel Stop Installation, we recommend a Dynabolt M16 Wheel Stop Fixing.

For Semi-Permanent Wheel Stops, you could use a road spike fixings. Road Spikes don't provide as much anchor strength, but do not require pre-drilling and leave minimum damage to the pavement when relocated or removed.

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