Wheel chock and method

A wheel chock for use over a ground-anchored base plate to prevent a parked vehicle from moving away in an unauthorized or accidental manner in a departure direction when the wheel chock is in a tire-blocking position on the base plate, the wheel chock having a tire-facing side to be positioned directly in front of a tire of a wheel of the parked vehicle, the tire including a resilient tire tread having an undeformed state when the tire tread is away from the wheel chock, and a deformed state when the tire tread is pressed forcefully against the wheel chock, the wheel chock including:

• a main body having a bottom base portion and a tire-engaging bulge, the tire-engaging bulge being located on the tire-facing side at a vertical position above the bottom base portion to engage the tire tread at a bulge engagement point when the wheel chock is in the tire-blocking position;
• a tire deformation cavity made within the main body on the tire-facing side of the wheel chock, the tire deformation cavity being located immediately below the tire-engaging bulge and extending from the tire-engaging bulge down to a bottom tire-engaging point on the bottom base portion, the tire deformation cavity receiving the deformed tire tread below the bulge engagement point when the tire tread is pressed onto the tire-engaging bulge in the deformed state;
• and
• a plurality of spaced-apart and substantially downwardly-projecting teeth provided underneath the bottom base portion of the wheel chock to engage at least one among corresponding spaced-apart teeth provided on the base plate in a latched engagement when the wheel chock is in the tire-blocking position on the base plate;
• wherein the main body of the wheel chock has a monolithic construction;
• wherein the wheel chock is sized such that the bulge is configured to engage on an upper portion of a lower leading quadrant of the wheel at the bulge engagement point;
• and
• wherein the bottom tire-engaging point is spaced apart from the tire tread when the tire tread initially contacts the tire-engaging bulge in the undeformed state.