This is especially true when it comes to your house, vehicle or business. Even the best of us can get locked out on occasion. Fortunately, there are several ways to fix these situations (and prevent them from happening in the first place). Here are a few tips for the next time you’re locked out.

Tips for When You’re Locked Out of Your Car

Getting locked out of your car is a stressful situation, so we won’t distract you with details about why this happens, how often and so forth. Let’s get straight to the tips:

• Call 911 if anyone is in danger. This includes people in and out of the car. If everyone is safe, move on to these other tips.
• Make sure you can’t access the vehicle. Check all doors, the trunks and any possible access points.
• Think of backup key locations. Are they with a friend, family member or at home?
• Attempt a DIY access. This isn’t a recommendation as it can often make the problem worse, but attempting to enter your car while locked out in a DIY manner is possible. The difficulty varies by vehicle make/model and can often cause damage that will have you regretting the decision. With that said, this is an option we wanted to keep on the list and one that is worth considering depending on your situation and experience level.
• Call roadside assistance or a professional locksmith. Professionals can travel to your location to tow your car or unlock your vehicle.

Note: breaking in whether via a window or destroying a lock is not an option we’d consider.

Tips for When You’re Locked Out of Your House

We’ll do the same thing for getting locked out of your house. Here are some tips for when this happens to you:

• Call someone you know. For both safety purposes and to help find a spare key.
• Utilize technology. Open the door or garage remotely if you have an app connected.
• Look for access points. Just be aware you will look suspicious to onlookers.
• Remove the door knob – Other DIY: If you can get your hands on tools, you may be able to remove a door knob and certain locks. Given your familiarity with your home, you may explore other DIY options here as well, but as with the auto DIY access, this is on our list of tips more because it’s an option than recommendation.
• Call a professional locksmith. While you may not want a surprise cost from having been locked out of your home, you may be surprised how much you’ll save in terms of time as well as cost to just pay professionals to do their job. 

Tips for When You’re Locked Out of Your Business

Lastly, here are some tips for when you’re locked out of your business:

• Think through solutions. As a business owner, you likely have several backup and alternate entry options. Also consider how several of the above tips might apply here.
• Call a locksmith. You might want to do this earlier than other scenarios on this list, as downtime affects your bottom line.
• Prevent future lockouts. Install a master key system, access control system or another security solution to prevent lockouts.
  

If you have any other locksmith-related questions, be sure to give us a call or stop by any of our DFW-area locations and a professional team member will help you.

If this happens to you, you’re not alone. The AAA reports that millions of motorists still lock their keys in their car each year. But if it happens when you’re nowhere near a town, gas station or rest stop, it can cause a tremendous amount of panic… unless you’re prepared.

Let’s take a look at your options in situations like this and how a locksmith may be able to help.

Exploring Your Options

For starters, it’s important to determine whether the situation is an emergency. If there is a child, pet or other person locked in the car (or anyone outside of it is in danger), call 911. A call to the police shouldn’t be your first option if no one is in danger, but as a last resort, it can be helpful. Many police officers have the ability to unlock your car, or call a tow truck (which you’ll be paying for). Plus, a 911 call will go to the nearest dispatch center, which can give you peace of mind.

Your second option is to call a locksmith. Locksmith companies like A-1 Locksmith, for example, have a wide service area in Dallas-Fort Worth. So even if it seems like you’re in the middle of nowhere, a locksmith may still be able to reach you. Dallas-Fort Worth is quite large, you know.

Finally, a call to the dealership, a tow truck company or your insurance/roadside assistance company may be an option. This depends on your location, as well as the company’s guidelines.

What If There’s No Cell Service?

Of course, one of the biggest problems with being in the middle of nowhere is that there can be a lack of cell phone coverage. If you’re in an emergency situation and dial 911, however, you’ll be relieved to know that your cell phone will scan all networks (not just your own) and try to make a call. This will drain your battery and isn’t guaranteed to work, so try to get to the highest point possible before you make your call and turn off your phone until you get there, if necessary.

For situations where you can’t use your phone at all (e.g. the battery died), it’s important to keep an emergency kit on hand, preferably one with a safety whistle and/or flare. If you can attract someone’s attention, they may be able to help. Try not to leave your vehicle (assuming it’s in a safe location), unless you know you are in walkable distance of a location with a phone/person.

How a Locksmith Can Help

If the situation isn’t an emergency, a locksmith may be the best option. The best locksmiths are equipped with GPS-monitored vans, so you’ll know where exactly they are in proximity to your location by simply giving the company a call. These locksmiths also use GPS technology themselves so they can find you quickly, even if you’re outside of a town or city limit.

A locksmith, from a reputable company like A-1 Locksmith, will arrive promptly in a marked vehicle, wearing a marked uniform, and with the appropriate locksmithing tools. A-1 Locksmith has more than 30 technicians in the field each day and can potentially have someone to your location fast. At the very least, someone from our team can give you advice about the next steps you should take.

If you’ve been locked out of your car in the middle of nowhere, you don’t need to panic. Assuming no one is in danger, give A-1 Locksmith a call today at 972-284-7500 and we’ll help you out.

Great. Now what?

This is a common problem. After all, four million Americans lock their keys in their car annually. But with summer coming up, chances are higher that you might get locked out of your car while on vacation in an unfamiliar area. If that happens, here are your options:

1. Get the spare key, if you have one.

If you have an extra key on hand now is the time to get it. Don’t have one? A local locksmith can cut and/or program extra keys so you don’t have to worry about this problem in the future. Better safe than sorry!

2. Evaluate your surroundings.

If you don’t have a spare key, your first step is to get familiar with your surroundings. If you need to call the police or your insurance company, you’ll need to give them as much relevant information as you can. So take note of nearby roads, landmarks and where your vehicle is located. If there’s a gas station nearby, they may sell tools needed to unlock your vehicle.

3. Determine whether you need to call 911 or not.

If you’re in a threatening situation, such as an abandoned road or sketchy part of town, you may need to call the police. This is especially true if a child or pet is locked in the vehicle. If it’s a hot day, you may even want to consider breaking the side window of your vehicle to get them out. It’s partially a judgment call, but the 911 dispatch officer should be able to give you further instruction.

4. Call your insurance agency or warranty company.

If it’s not an emergency situation, you may have roadside assistance services with your insurance agency or the company that manages your vehicle’s warranty. Just keep in mind that this option will likely require a waiting period and your vehicle might just end up having to be taken away by a tow truck.

5. Call a local locksmith.

Your best option might be to call a local locksmith. The right one will send an experienced, licensed team member to your location and provide emergency lockout services. Furthermore, the best locksmith companies can even work with your insurance company so that you don’t have to pay for the locksmith’s services. Either way, a locksmith is trained to deal with these situations.

If you’ve been locked out of a car in Dallas-Fort Worth, be sure to give A-1 Locksmith a call at 972-284-7500  and we’ll help you out right away.

What happens, however, if you don’t use keys to enter your car, but instead use a key fob or some other sort of keyless entry? Is there any way for you to regain access to the interior of your vehicle?

Don’t worry if you find yourself locked out with keyless entry. To be sure, you’re only one of many individuals throughout the nation who have suffered the same fate.

Key Fobs Not the Answer to Being Locked Out of a Car

Ultimately, key fobs were widely adopted, in part, to ensure that vehicle owners had a much smaller chance of locking themselves out of their cars. Of course, just like a pair of keys, it is fairly easy to accidentally lock a key fob inside of the vehicle. Unlike traditional keys, however, many modern key fobs are often designed to allow for the car to be unlocked as long as they are within a certain range. Here, then, an individual may lock a key fob within the car, yet still open the door due to the fob’s proximity to the computer.

Unfortunately, like anything with batteries, the key fob may eventually fail to work, leaving these vehicle owners locked out. And this certainly is not a rare occurrence; a 2013 report from AAA asserted that millions of motorists still find themselves locked out, even those who utilize smart keys.

As such, it is important to realize that if you have been locked out while using a smart key or key fob, you’re not alone. In this situation, however, it is imperative that you contact a professional locksmith to regain entry immediately.

How A-1 Locksmith Can Help

How can you ensure that you will still retain access to your car, even if you have been locked out with keyless entry? By contacting a professional with A-1 Locksmith, you can receive the assistance of a locksmith, often in less than 25 minutes, and be on your way home. Our mobile technicians carry in their trucks all of the equipment necessary to replace both traditional and chip or transponder keys, meaning that you’re never without help, even if you’re locked out. And, we offer this service at a cost not available at any local dealership.

So if you find yourself locked out with keyless entry somewhere in the Dallas area, don’t panic. Instead, call us today at A-1 Locksmith and we’ll be on our way in minutes.