Keep your keys on you

Car screwed me over royally today.

Had finished some shopping with mum, went back to the car. Unlocked the car (central locking) and opened the boot. Put kids in their car seats, pram in boot but left boot door open so mum could put stuff in. Opened driver's door, turned car on, aircon on. Mum's friend pulled in, I called out a hello and went to get into driver's seat - door locked. All doors locked. Car running, kids inside but doors have locked themselves. The boot is on the same central locking unit - doors can't lock if one door or the boot is open.

I couldn't climb through the boot to get to the kids because we have a cargo barrier (it's a wagon) and I don't have tools to unbolt it. Rang DH - he was an hour away and his key was locked in the car anyway. Rang RACV, they called the fire brigade and organised a tech.

Mum was asking me if we could coach DD1 to open the door but I didn't want to teach her to take her seatbelt off and the back doors are child locked so she couldn't open it from the inside. If she got out of the seat and climbed into the front, well the car was running so I'd hate to think what would have happened if she'd bumped the gear shifter. We were waiting for help when DD1 started to shriek "Nonna! I got the door open!"

Somehow my clever munchkin had opened the door - even though the child lock was on. Right at the same time, the MFB and ambos turned up with the RACV. Everyone checked that we were all okay. Strangest bit was they confirmed that the child lock was on - we couldn't open it up again from the inside.

So even though we have these great cars that shouldn't do things like this - mine did. It broke all the rules and locked itself - even with the boot open. Keep your keys close!!!!!!!

Glad you are all ok. Would have been so scary!

I got caught the same way - thankfully pre kids - a few years ago too; keys in the ignition and the car locked itself. I always make sure the driver's window is down far enough for me to get my arm in now.

Must have been scary for you with the kids inside. Glad everybody's ok. Awful way to learn a lesson

You don't drive a territory do you? A friend of mine did the exact same thing a little while ago...

Oh my gosh, how scary!

I do that ALL the time in summer! Will make sure I leave my door open a little in future.

:hug: Glad everything worked out ok. Amazing that the child locked door opened just that once when needed...

how scary! i thought i was just being paranoid always opening the window if i was out of the car and the keys were in, but i will continue doing it now. Glad things are ok.

Scary. I open the sun roof so I could get in that way if needed.

Helle, she does drive a Territory!!!! Bizarre.

That's really scary Pac. So glad you guys are all ok! Might just wind my window down in future...

I always leave my door open, it isn't supposed to lock with the key in the ignition but I had a previous car that locked randomly.

good that the emergencies crews arrived .... and made sure you and your kids were ok :)

My previous car did this, luckily I hadn't put my dd1 in yet, I always kept my keys on me after that until I was seated in the car. So scary for you xx

Oh my darling!!!!!! So glad you're all ok! I can imagine how scary that would have been. I don't mind saying that my heart was racing when you told me. :hug:

This is a big fear of mine, thanks for the reminder, glad everything worked out and you were all ok!

My DH's Nissan Navara has done the same thing - fortunately at home and not with the kids in the car. He had started the car in the morning to warm up the engine and get the heater cranking and it locked itself. He couldn't figure out how to open the door manually with the spare key so he had to wake me up - at 5am!! (Any Navara owners, you have to flick off a little flap on the door handle of the driver's door to expose the key lock!) I often start my car while I load the boot so that the heater/air conditioning gets going for the kidlets, but I always leave the drivers door open.

Glad everyone is ok :)

I've always been paranoid about locking my keys and child in the car at the same time - whenever I put DS into his seat the keys go in the door handle next to him and the door is left open, then when we're ready to go I grab the keys and shut the door.

I'd be contacting the manufacturer about that kind of malfunction personally - really not cool!

how scary!! one of the reasons i love my car, no central locking, infact you have to have to physically put the key in the drivers door to lock it, so near impossible to lock the keys in the car.
that actually really scares me... glad your kiddies are ok

:

---

You don't drive a territory do you? A friend of mine did the exact same thing a little while ago...

---

Yep it's a Territory. First time it's let us down.

It's going to Ford on Monday to figure out what happened and obviously fix whatever issue it has.

It happens more oftem than you might think. Very glad all turned out well.

I had a similar thing happen to me with the twins and being at chiro. Put them into the car (2 door hyundai) and if you press the lock button accidentally without the doors being closed it will activate the mechanism and when the doors are all closed it locks. I didn't realise the locking mechanism had been activated when I was putting the boys into the car so finished with them and shut the door, went around to the drivers side to get in and door locked with kids inside. Luckily it wasn't a hot day, but I was freaking out... ran inside to get them to call RACV who took ages to answer who told me a twech was an hour away and they could call the fire brigade to break a window.

While we were waiting I went back to the car to check on the boys (as best I could) and searched around and luckily found the car keys had fallen onto the ground just under the car - disaster averted - called back RACV to stop Fire Brigade coming as we were all o.k, but now I have a lanyard with my keys attached which I put around my neck when I'm putting the kids in the car and I will always leave a car door open until everyone is all in safely including me.

I know on hot days putting the a/c on to cool the car down before everyone gets in seems like the best option but for me, I open the car up put the key in the ignition to open the window then take the key out, put it around my neck and then get the kids in the car and once we are all in safely then I'll turn the car on and crank up the a/c and then close the windows.

Glad you and your little one were all o.k.

I'm glad it all turned out well and that all involved are not injured.

Seriously though, leaving your keys in the ignition and/or having the car running with your kids alone in the car alone is dangerous. I don't know why anyone would do it.

Wow!! I am glad your all ok!!! Our Territory does this too!!! DH always leaves the kieys in when its parked in the garage and i am always telling him to take them out coz they car randomly locks itself and one day its gonna happen with both sets of keys in there!!! I found ours did it alot when the battery was going flat in our beepy thing (lol the button thing on your keys) and when we had some car battery issues it played up alot too!!

Tinks, I don't think anyone is referring to leaving their kids 'alone in the car'. They are not 'alone' whilst I walk from the passenger side to the driver's side, or whilst I load the shopping in the boot. My kids are safer strapped into a seat in the car than sitting in a trolley or (for the older ones) standing around in the carpark. On a stinking hot day, I'm reticent to strap DD2 into the car and have her sit in the overheated car without the AC. The danger of her being heat affected is greater IMO than the danger of her climbing out of her seat (including a Houdini strap) without my noticing and knocking the car into gear.

:

---

I'm glad it all turned out well and that all involved are not injured.

Seriously though, leaving your keys in the ignition and/or having the car running with your kids alone in the car alone is dangerous. I don't know why anyone would do it.

---

Wow. Were you there? I never left the car. I turned it on to cool it down - I guess you've never done this? Loaded kids in the car while the air con is running? How do your kids get into the car in the first place? Mine need help being four months and three so I don't get into the car first - at some point, they're always going to be alone in the car without me in it. Keep your judgement to yourself - it was a horrible situation that stressed me out completely and not once did I leave the car. My point of posting was to say how nothing I did caused this to happen so others can be aware of it happening.

No I wasn't there and I'm not judging you, i was pointing out that leaving a car running with your kids inside while you're not in it is dangerous....and no, I've never done it.

my car (not sure if this is changed or not) but youhave to turn the car on to put the windows down. so i often tueb the car on, put windows down and then strap Spock in and then get in myself. there is a difference in doing this (and same with putting air con on, or putting groceries in car) than leaving a child in the car. and if the alternative is that or getting them to stand next to the car where they can run in oncoming traffic then its the lesser of 2 evils

:

---

i was pointing out that leaving a car running with your kids inside while you're not in it is dangerous....

---

How is that not judgement?

Thanks for the reminder PRMG - On hot days the first thing I do is unlock the car and boot, crank the air con (and therefore have the motor running, car in park and handbrake on) then put both kids in the car as the air con cools the stinking hot car. There is no way I'd put the kids in first without cooling the car as by the time I have both strapped in and the pram loaded in the boot a good 5 mins can pass - way too long as the car can be 50-60+ degrees on a summers day.

I'll be leaving the drivers door/window open from now on

So glad everything was ok, that's super scary! I panicked a month ago when our garage door slammed shut and I got locked in the garage with the kids inside. Luckily I was able to coach 3yo DS how to unlock the door. I was freaking out I was so bloody scared, I reckon I would have broken a window to get inside too. Now I have a spare key in the garage. At least we can all learn from these things, thanks for the heads up! Hugs to you xxx

:

---

How is that not judgement?

---

I'm sorry you or the OP feels I have judged her, I don't believe I have. What if I had pointed out (if the situation called for it) that smoking in the car with children was dangerous or driving with un restrained children is dangerous? Would you class those statements as judgmental? NO, you wouldn't. Same diff.

:

---

I'm sorry you or the OP feels I have judged her, I don't believe I have. What if I had pointed out (if the situation called for it) that smoking in the car with children was dangerous or driving with un restrained children is dangerous? Would you class those statements as judgmental? NO, you wouldn't. Same diff.

---

I don't think you can compare safely restraining your toddler and baby in a temperature controlled vehicle to smoking or driving with unrestrained children. Had the locks not malfunctioned there was no danger. There is always danger with the smoking/unrestrained children example. You make a choice to put the children in danger knowing full well the consequences. PRMG had left the car unlocked for safety and something out of her control occured.

Its really similar to my example of locking myself out of the house - all I did was enter the garage to get something out of our chest freezer for dinner and the door accidental slamming shut all of a sudden turned a normal situation into a dangerous one. I dont consider myself negligent, just very unlucky. PRMG was sharing so that none of us found her in the situation she did.

PRMG has said herself that she will keep her keys with her from now on because her car locked her children inside, which pretty much confirms my statement that leaving your car running with your children inside while you are not in it is dangerous.

how scary for you, i remember locking my keys in the car so many times (i blame sleep deprivation), in the first two years of bilby's life, boy was i glad i had the RAA to come get me out of strife at those times (even in a car without central locking).

Like TaRli, i ended up having my keys on a lanyard around my neck, cos i worked out, it kept on happening as so few of my clothes have pockets, and i needed TWO hands to put bilby in her carseat, so i kept putting the keys DOWN (in the boot, inside the car etc), in order to attend to my child. Even now she's six, i keep on using the lanyard. Don't want it to happen again.

so glad your situation turned out ok, techology is good when it works, but scary when it does things you don't expect (like putting the child lock on, when you haven't activated it yourself).

I think it's good you're sharing your experience, this sort of thing could so easily happen to anyone

:

---

PRMG has said herself that she will keep her keys with her from now on because her car locked her children inside, which pretty much confirms my statement that leaving your car running with your children inside while you are not in it is dangerous.

---

The reason why I'm keeping my keys with me is because my car locked itself with the kids inside - not because I believe it's dangerous to have the kids in a running car with the aircon on with me right beside it. Do you know that the fireys and ambos were happy that I turn the aircon on before putting kids in the car? Explain to me what would have happened to my kids had I not turned the aircon on. My bag was in the car, my keys would have been in there, the car still would have locked and my kids would have been in a stifling car with no air con running for the twenty or so minutes it took for emergency services to arrive.

As the temperature on a dashboard increases, it releases toxins. I would much rather cool down the car getting the hot air out through my open boot and giving the air a chance to cool than to put my kids into the car with health hazard toxins. IMO, far more dangerous than simply having a car running.

Anyway.

Didn't start this for a debate or to have a woe is me moment. Wrote it because it happened so quickly and it could happen to anyone.

Moderator Message »
Any further snide remarks will result in a banning from this thread and warning. If you wish to continue with that take it off the forums. Thanks

This scenario could happen to anyone regardless of whether the car was running or keys were in the ignition. It is a reminder (esp. in hot weather) to be careful with keys when loading kids into the car. With a 3mth old and a 2 year old, I usually leave the baby in the stroller while I strap the 2 year old into her seat. Even this makes me uneasy, as I worry about something happening to the stroller, but IMO safer than leaving a 2 year old loose in the car or in the car park/footpath for even a second. I then usually put the keys next to the baby capsule while I strap him in. Then put the stroller in the boot. On more than one occasion I have closed all the doors and walked to the drivers side only to realise the keys are still in the back by the baby capsule. If my car locked itself, I'd be in real trouble and probably wish the car was running with A/C on (something I have done as well). I personally appreciate the reminder that 'accidents' happen. I will definitely be keeping my keys on me when strapping in the kids and hope to avoid that terrifying situation.

Scary! I have had a car lock its self to. I never leave my keys in the ignition when I'm not in my car. Not even in summer. I open all doors and put my kids in the climb in my side which is always left open. I have heard way to many horror stories about kids locked in cars with the keys in the ignition. I'm glad everyone was ok!

OMG that is so scary!

Also reminds me of something else I read which I was going to share on BB about keeping scissors in your car. Will post a new thread!

Makes me glad that my wagon barrier has an exit door.

I've locked myself in the boot whilst bf lol, and had to climb into front seat to get out lol.