woman locked out of car sitting on floor

What to Do When You Get Locked Out of Your Car

It happens to everyone at least once. Maybe you’ve left the car to grab the mail. Maybe you were distracted when you parked, thinking about work, what to make for supper and whether that cloud means a thunderstorm is coming. (In some rare cases, the lockout could be the fault of a child or a pet.) Whatever the reason, you’ve found yourself locked outside your vehicle, and you realize you’re not going anywhere anytime soon. What do you do?

If there’s a child or pet involved, call 911 immediately.

If necessary, in high temperatures or unsafe situations, you may need to break a window even before help arrives. Choose a window away from any human or animal occupant of the vehicle. If you have some tape available, apply some to the window, which may help keep some the glass from scattering.

Check all the doors, including the hatchback, if it has one.

It may seem obvious, but locksmiths and firefighters who are often called to help report that in many cases, one door was actually unlocked. (Plus, it saves you the embarrassment later.)

If you’re really handy and there’s a hardware store nearby…

This is likely to be out of most people’s technical skill portfolio, but there are ways for “clever-with-tools” people to open a locked vehicle. Popular Mechanics provides some instruction here. Important tip: never use a “slim jim.” They won’t work on most modern cars, and you could damage the vehicle.

Call a professional.

Most of us aren’t MacGyver, and unless we’ve locked ourselves out of our vehicles in the parking lot of a Home Depot, we don’t have access to the right tools. Hopefully, we do have access to a phone, either our own or one we’ve borrowed (if you’ve been unlucky enough to lock your phone in the car.)

In Connecticut, All American Locksmiths provides fast, mobile locksmith service, ensuring that you don’t have to wait too long to get back into your car, and can be on your way quickly. We provide mobile, 24/7 car lockout services, car key replacement services, chip car key and keyless remote programming, transponder chip keys and keyless remote replacements in western, southern, and central Connecticut.

 

Contact us today!

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