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Tue 13 May, 2003 06:43 am
I have had this on and off argument with my husband for years. Living in New York for most of my life, the first thing that I do when I get into my car is LOCK IT.
He thinks that I am doing something dangerous. He said that if I were in an accident, with the electric doors locked, there might be a problem getting me out of the car quickly. As a compromise, I lock my car door on the streets, but unlock them on a highway. (Hey, if someone wants to rob me at 75mph, more power to him. 
)
Today I read a story about a man who had a real problem getting out of his car when the car's computer failed, and he had to have the windows broken with a sledge hammer:
Quote:Official Trapped in Car After Computer Fails
Mon May 12, 9:43 AM ET
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Security guards smashed their way into an official limousine with sledgehammers on Monday to rescue Thailand's finance minister after his car's computer failed.
Suchart Jaovisidha and his driver were trapped inside the BMW for more than 10 minutes before guards broke a window. All doors and windows had locked automatically when the computer crashed, and the air-conditioning stopped, officials said.
'We could hardly breathe for over 10 minutes,' Suchart told reporters. 'It took my guard a long time to realize that we really wanted the window smashed so that we could crawl out. It was a harrowing experience.'
When you are on the road, do YOU lock your car doors?
I don't have any choice. In my car, once it's in gear and moving at 5 MPH the doors lock themselves. lol
fishin'- I would be interested in finding some statistics as to problems with electric doors/ accidents!
phoenix - what u said is scary !! But considering that my mobile is *always* with me, I think should that happen I think I can summon for help pretty quickly !!!
I *always* lock my car. For some reason I feel that I am isolated from the world in a locked car - in a world of my own - and that gives me great comfort.
Plus, so many of my friends have been mugged on inner London streets in unlocked cars that I have become sort of paraniod !!
I don't lock the doors out of laziness, but it would be a good idea in many areas. Actually, my doors will open from the inside even when locked unless I do something or other with a child protection system. I suspect that the limo in Thailand had some unusual security features.
As usual, I am thinking worst case scenarios. You skid, and your car rolls over. It is only seconds before the gas tank is going to blow, and you can't open the damn door. I am afraid that in a case like this, a cell phone would be of little use, except to tell the cops where to find your body!
Also, what if you were hurt, and the people on the outside could not get IN to save you?
In a worst case scenario, I guess people will break the window (if not already broken due to impact) to get you out/help you.
Same principle applies for seat belts in a way - if u r trapped and say for example, the buckle of the strap gets stuck or twisted, you cannot get out - can you ??
And Roger, even in my car the locks (and almost everyother thing) is controlled by a small computer - if that breaks down, then I guess the same will happen - as cars theft gets more common (which it is in Europe) security will get tighter and tighter !
Measure the odds. What is the greater risk to you with your living environment and driving habits? If you're less likely to have an intruder attempt to open a car door then keep them unlocked. If you drive recklessly and have a lot of near misses or not so near misses and think one of those misses will result in not being able to get the door open, then keep them unlocked.
For me personally, I am a careful driver with a spotless accident record. I feel much safer with my car doors locked and am comfortable with the odds being in my favor.
I don't lock my doors while driving on the highway. I was in a bad accident a few years ago and if the electric doors had been locked, I wouldn't have been able to get out. The windows smashed and the cell phone went flying out the window. The car was on it's side and it was in a very rural area, just a dangerous situation all around.
My cell phone dies or has no reception half the time around here, especially when I'm driving up in Maine. If you land in the water, even a shallow creek, a split second make a huge difference - and people do drive into ponds, lakes, etc. all the time. If you are someplace that no one can see the car (in a ravine maybe) you might be able to call them, but it can take an incredibly long time to find you, especially if your not familiar with the area to begin with.
Everyone makes there own choices, and I keep them locked in urban areas (people have tried to get into my car, too) but I can't think of any could reason to keep them locked on a highway or in sparsely populated area.
If you're driving in NY and don't feel safe drving with the doors unlocked, then lock them. I'm sure the chances of the locks being stuck after a crash is very, very slim. There's a negative side to everything, even with wearing a seatbelt, or having an airbag blow in your face.
Re: Locking a Car While Driving/ Good Idea or Not?
Phoenix32890 wrote:I have had this on and off argument with my husband for years. Living in New York for most of my life, the first thing that I do when I get into my car is LOCK IT.
He thinks that I am doing something dangerous. He said that if I were in an accident, with the electric doors locked, there might be a problem getting me out of the car quickly. As a compromise, I lock my car door on the streets, but unlock them on a highway. (Hey, if someone wants to rob me at 75mph, more power to him. )
Today I read a story about a man who had a real problem getting out of his car when the car's computer failed, and he had to have the windows broken with a sledge hammer:
Quote:Official Trapped in Car After Computer Fails
Mon May 12, 9:43 AM ET
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Security guards smashed their way into an official limousine with sledgehammers on Monday to rescue Thailand's finance minister after his car's computer failed.
Suchart Jaovisidha and his driver were trapped inside the BMW for more than 10 minutes before guards broke a window. All doors and windows had locked automatically when the computer crashed, and the air-conditioning stopped, officials said.
'We could hardly breathe for over 10 minutes,' Suchart told reporters. 'It took my guard a long time to realize that we really wanted the window smashed so that we could crawl out. It was a harrowing experience.'
When you are on the road, do YOU lock your car doors?
First thing I used to do, when I got in my car in Chicago, was to look under the front seat to see if anyone was hiding there. Then I checked the backseat to see if unwanted guests were sitting there. If I was alone, I locked the doors.
Many cars have, as fishin' said, the 5mph feature, but they usually unlock if the cars tilts over a certain angle, thus making it pretty safe.
If I lived in a high crime area, I would lock the doors! But here, with a very low crime rate, people only lock their cars when they get out of the car.
Cars with the auto-locking 5mph feature also have manual buttons you unlock the doors with. It's not that hard.
If you don't have any electric or other automatic mechanism for locking/unlocking the doors, in larger cars (especially older ones), you have to either crawl over the seat or get out of the car to lock the doors other than the drivers.
I have an older BMW (not pictured). It must be locked using the key from the outside. That causes all the doors, the trunk, even the gas flap, to lock. It is not electric. Does anyone know how this works? Once you are inside the car and have shut all the doors, you can lock it all around by simply pressing down on the drivers side lock button.
An interesting thing about this is that there is no way to lock your keys in the car - a very nice design IMO.
I don't have my car locked while I'm driving with it. I think the person who is so desperate to steal my car (or to think that there is something worthy in it) deserves help. ;-)
:wink: I don't have a car ... problem solved!
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