What to do when you’re locked out of your car

There are few things as inconvenient as locking yourself out of your car, especially when you are out of the house and feel stranded. Mild panics and acts of bravado can cause people to break windows and destroy their vehicles locks, which is not ideal. People get locked out of their vehicles all the time, in fact the American Automobile Association says that more than 4,000,000 people reported car keys locked in the car in 2014, so if it’s happened to you, step one is not to panic, and here are the rest of them.

What’s going on around you?

Firstly, assess your situation. Do you feel like you are in a safe place? If not, don’t hesitate to call 911, but only if you feel threatened, those fine people have more to worry about than getting you into your car. You may have to wait a bit for an automotive locksmith to arrive when you call one, so be sure it is in a place where you feel safe waiting. If you need to, leave your car if there is somewhere safer nearby, like a gas station.

Next, double check that none of the doors are in fact unlocked. You never know, and it often happens. If your trunk is open and you have a sedan, there’s a good chance you could get in from there. If you still can’t get in, perhaps you should call for a car locksmith to come and get it open for you.

Get a locksmith to open it for you

You could try picking various methods of unlocking it, one involving a shoelace and a slip-knot that only works on pull up locks, but they are not easy and can do more damage than good. Desperate attempts to get into your car could lead to expenses far greater than those you would pay for having a technician open a locked car, so it is far better to have someone come have a look at it. It won’t take long and nothing will go wrong.

Once you’ve sorted out the fiasco, it’s worth going and having an extra car key made that can fit into your wallet or purse, something you carry on your person at all times. Just because getting locked out of your car is becoming more common (mostly because of keyless ignitions), doesn’t mean you need to get caught by it.