What to Do When You’ve Lost Your Home or Car Keys

If you got somewhere using your car and now your keys are missing then they must be in one of two places – locked in your car or somewhere between where you’re standing and where you just were. If you were at work, go back and check on and around your desk. If you were in a restaurant or at a movie go back and try to search for your keys where you were sitting.

Do you have friends or family with a spare key for your vehicle? If you’ve been locked out of your car or home, now is the time to call in a favor. Unfortunately, factors like distance and time may make it difficult for someone to get a spare key out to you when you need it. It may end up being faster to just call a locksmith.

If step one doesn’t work out or you look into your car and see your keys sitting on the passenger seat, then it’s likely time to call a locksmith. Thankfully, getting ahold of a qualified locksmith is much easier today than it was even 10 short years ago thanks to the smartphones we all carry around.

Depending on the type of insurance you have or your vehicle warranty, you may qualify for roadside assistance. Even some credit cards include roadside assistance. Auto clubs such as AAA also offer unlocking services, or they can at least tow you to a dealership where you can get your vehicle unlocked.

Trying to break into your own car by cracking open the window and using a clothes hanger or just breaking the window is not advisable. Forcing down the window may damage the mechanism within the door and shattering a car window can be very dangerous and expensive to fix. Many cars today don’t have post locks, so you may not be able to accomplish anything even if you were able to get the window to roll down slightly so you could fit a shoelace or clothes hanger through.

Being locked out of your car doesn’t warrant a call to law enforcement or first responders. However, if you’re stuck in a parking lot and have reason to believe your safety is threatened, don’t hesitate to call 911.

• Make spare keys and give them to trusted friends/family or use a hidden key device. There are drawbacks to hidden keys though, since it could potentially be found by someone who wants to steal your vehicle or break into your house.
• Keep an extra key in your office or your wallet/purse. Wallets and purses can be stolen or lost too, which can pose an additional risk, so be cautious.
• Keep your keys on a lanyard attached to a belt loop so you can’t accidentally leave them somewhere.

If you ever find yourself locked out of your home or vehicle in the Houston area, you can trust Dixie Safe & Lock Service Inc. to get to you fast and provide friendly, reliable locksmith services. Just call (713) 643-5767 and we’ll get someone dispatched out to you right away.