A busy day and a preoccupied mind could lead you to have a car lockout, in which case you may end up having an even more stressful day than you already were. This means that anyone can lock their keys in the car at some point or another, and it’s good to be prepared. That said, here’s what you should do if you lock your keys in the car so that you can get the best outcome and keep the issue nothing more than a slight inconvenience.
Check Whether Your Car Has a Helpful App
Most modern cars come with mobile apps that can be connected to the mobile phone, and which may be useful in terms of something like helping you unlock your vehicle. Bearing this in mind, you need to check whether your car actually has this feature as you can save yourself a lot of hassle. This app may come with a number of helpful features, which could make your life significantly easier. That’s especially the case if you’re among the 8.7 million adults in the United States who, according to Forbes, have ADHD. If it’s possible for you to make such an update to your car, you may want to consider working on it after you deal with the lockout.
Call Roadside Assistance or a Locksmith
Another practical step for you to take when you experience a car lockout is to call roadside assistance or a locksmith in the area. It shouldn’t be hard for you to find someone who has experience unlocking vehicles, since there are more than 16,000 car and home lockouts per day in the United States. This is the main reason why it’s best to have the numbers of a local towing company or roadside assistance with you at all times. The help that they can offer you in this case can save you a lot of hassle and give you the chance to get back to your lifestyle without too much trouble. Even if you don’t have the numbers of these professionals on your phone, it should be easy enough for you to find some online.
Be Careful if You Attempt to Unlock it Yourself
If you’re generally a handy person who doesn’t shy from DIYing whatever you can, you may decide to work on the unlocking yourself. In this case, you need to have the necessary tools to begin with, which are things such as a Slim Jim, a modified wire coat hanger, a windshield wiper blade, or even a string. It will take some improvisation to get the job done, as well as care to make sure that you don’t damage your vehicle or even injure yourself. You can get proper tools for situations like these easily from the internet or any of a number of small businesses in your area. That’s because there are 33.2 million small businesses in America, according to Zippia.
Prevent Future Lockouts
Finally, it’s prudent to do your best to avoid future lockouts, since these can be a hassle to deal with. To this end, always carry a spare key with you and make sure that the locking mechanism of your car door works well. You should also try and avoid leaving the house in a rush, which could cause you to be forgetful and set you up for an issue during the day.
These are some of the steps to take if you get locked out of your car. In such a scenario, it’s best that you stay calm and remember that a busy lifestyle could result in forgetfulness, so you need to give yourself some grace as well. When you handle the issue properly, you can be sure that you’ll come out of it having learned a thing or two, perhaps even managing to avoid a similar occurrence in the future.