Avoid Store Front Crashes with Wheel Stops

It sounds like a scene that many of us have seen in a Hollywood car chase movie, but drivers do drive their cars into shop windows. This is not an uncommon occurrence, and it happens more often than you would believe. Of course this kind of accident can cause an incredible amount of damage, but more importantly, customers and staff can be injured. A business could also be out of action for a considerable amount of time as the property will have to be repaired and made ready for business again. One simple solution to this problem that many businesses are using is wheel stops.

What is a Wheel Stop?

Many of us are probably most familiar with wheel stops at the supermarket or in other areas that have car parks. Vehicle wheel stops can be made from a variety of materials, such as new or recycled rubber, high impact plastic or concrete. Each type of wheel stop has different characteristics that make it suitable for certain applications. As an example: a concrete wheel stop would be more useful in an area that has heavy duty traffic like a loading dock or a warehouse.

For lighter duty applications, such as a parking area at the front of a retail outlet, a rubber or plastic wheel stop should fit the bill. The wheel stop acts as a physical reminder to the driver that they have met the end of the area where they can park. In order to go over the barrier at low speeds, the driver would have ignore the warning completely. The barrier will not damage the vehicle at lower speeds, but it is high enough to be an obvious deterrent.

Why is a Wheel Stop Necessary?

I’m sure that many of us have been or have seen someone become distracted. We live in a society where there are a lot of demands on our attention, and inevitably mistakes occur. Another phenomenon that occurs on a regular basis is pedal error. This happens when a driver returns to their car, puts the car into drive instead of reverse and then looks to the rear thinking they are going to reverse out of a space. They then press the accelerator, and it takes them too long to notice they are travelling in the opposite direction. This can become even more dangerous if the driver then presses the accelerator harder rather than hitting the brakes.

If they are interested in using wheel stops, Australia based business owners and property managers should contact us. At Image Bollards, we stock a wide variety of high quality safety and security equipment, including wheel stops. All of our range is manufactured to meet Australian standards. We look forward to discussing your needs in further detail and answering any questions you may have.

Supply and install high quality security bollards around Australia, we supply wide range of bollards including steel bollards, removable, along with rubber wheel stops.