Child or Pet Locked in the Car? Read This First
This is the one lockout where you should not call a locksmith first. What to do, in order, and why minutes matter more than damage.
Most of this blog is about avoiding unnecessary cost and damage. This article is the exception, because when a child or an animal is shut inside a vehicle the priorities change completely.
Call 111 first, not us
Emergency services are dispatched from wherever they happen to be and are very often closer than we are, they are equipped for exactly this, and they can make a decision to force entry that a locksmith should not be making on your behalf. Ring them, then ring us if you still need to.
We say this knowing it sends work away, and we would rather say it. The one situation where speed genuinely outranks avoiding damage is this one.
While you wait
Get the car into shade if there is any way to do so without moving it, and shade the windows with anything you have — a blanket, a coat, cardboard. On a warm Waikato afternoon the inside of a parked car climbs far faster than most people expect, and a cracked window makes less difference than people assume.
Stay where the child can see you and keep talking to them. A frightened child who can see a calm parent copes much better than one who cannot.
If there is someone with you, send them to find the nearest person with tools rather than both of you standing at the car. In a Hamilton car park that is usually quicker than it sounds.
When to break the window
If the vehicle is in direct sun, the situation is deteriorating and help is not close, breaking a window is the correct decision. Choose one furthest from the occupant, ideally a small side window rather than the windscreen, and cover them as best you can.
A window costs a few hundred dollars. Do not spend time weighing that up. It is your vehicle, and the glass is not a consideration worth setting against a child in a hot car.
Where we fit
We will still come, and we will still open the car without damage if the timing allows — most Hamilton callouts are 20 to 40 minutes, and for this we prioritise. But the order matters: emergency services first, us second. If you are reading this having already called both, you have done it right.
For any lockout that is not urgent in this way, the ordinary emergency lockout process applies and there is no reason to damage anything.
Prevention, for afterwards
Keep a spare key with someone who is not you, and get into the habit of holding your keys rather than putting them down while loading. Almost every one of these calls starts with keys placed on a seat for a moment.
If your car locks itself when the doors close, know that before it matters rather than after. A spare key held by a partner or a neighbour turns this from an emergency into a phone call.
Common questions
Should I really call 111 before a locksmith?
Yes. They are often closer, they are equipped for it, and they can make the call to force entry. Ring them first and us second.
How quickly does a parked car get dangerous?
Faster than most people expect on a warm day, and a partly open window makes less difference than assumed. Treat it as urgent rather than inconvenient.
Will you still come if emergency services are on the way?
Yes, and we prioritise these calls. If we arrive in time we open the car without damage. If we do not, no harm done in having called.
Am I liable for breaking my own window?
It is your vehicle. The cost of the glass is not a consideration worth weighing against a child in a hot car.