Whenever you spend time in the garage or on your driveway tinkering with your car, it’s important you practice good vehicle safety, both for your protection and for the protection of your vehicle. One of the most important steps to take is using wheel chocks to keep your car in position.

Chocking prevents any unintended movement of your car during maintenance work. It adds a physical barrier and stopper to prevent it from rolling away, allowing you to avoid incidents in which the vehicle crushes or collides with other objects or people in the area. This is an especially important safety practice for when people are working underneath or in front of the vehicle.

Here’s an overview of what you should know about wheel chocks and how to use them to ensure safe maintenance of your vehicle.

Using chocks safely and responsibly

How can you get the safest, most effective use out of your wheel chocks? Here’s what you should know.

• Make sure you’re using the right chocks: Not all chocks are created equal. You certainly shouldn’t attempt to DIY your own chocks with random building materials, as you cannot trust they’ll provide the same level of safety as professionally made chocks with anti-skid materials. When looking at chocks available on the market, choose a set that is designed for the specific purposes you need them for, and that will provide a good fit for your vehicle’s tires.
• Put the vehicle into park: Before chocking your vehicle, make sure you’re parked on a flat surface (if possible) and put the vehicle into park. Keep an eye on which way the wheels would be most likely to roll, especially if you’re going to be lifting the vehicle to perform maintenance.
• Wedging: You should place the chocks under the backs of the wheels furthest away from the side you’re lifting. Either kick them in tight or use a tool to push them under and firmly position them under the wheels. You can then add additional chocks on the fronts of the wheels to provide extra security.

Choosing the right chocks

As we mentioned above, one of the most important safety considerations in using wheel chocks for maintenance is actually using the right chocks for the job. There are several factors to consider here.

First, you should know exactly what you’re planning on doing. Are you simply using the chocks for storage, or are you planning on lifting the vehicle for maintenance or towing? The kind of job you will be performing will influence the kind of chocks you purchase.

Next, consider the surface on which you’ll be using the chocks. Is it a soft or hard surface? Is it smooth or rough? Is there any incline in the area? These are all factors that will play a role in the kind of chocks you use.

Finally, you should consider the vehicle that will be chocked. The weight of the vehicle and the size of its tires should be considerations when selecting wheel chocks. If you choose chocks that do not have the proper size or weight capacity, you could accidentally damage the chocks or the vehicle itself. Carefully analyze the specifications of chocks before making your purchase so you can be completely certain your chosen chock will be able to hold up to your vehicle.

If you’re going to be doing any kind of DIY work on your performance cars, you should have a good set of chocks on hand to ensure your personal safety and to protect your vehicle and property. Keep these considerations in mind and make safety a priority in your garage.