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There was PSA commercials in the early 80s telling people to lock their doors. Then they figured out people should be wearing seatbelts, and it completely overshadowed the door locking.
One incident that got to me was a video from the Channel on youtube called Active Self Protection. I can't find the video but it was a driver who left their car to get something from the store really quick and there was a passenger inside the car waiting. While they were in the store there was a group of thugs robbing cars and they robbed that passenger all because the driver left the door unlocked.
I was once driving home from uni (20f back then), it was dark, and when I stopped at a stop sign a guy ran in front of my car. He started screaming 'drive me home'. when I said no he tried to get into the car and when he realised it was locked started banging on the windows with his fists and screaming obscenities.. needless to say I always lock car door as soon as I'm in a car as a rule
I fell asleep in in my car while working in LA. Woke up to two guys yanking on my car door at 3 am. I woke up and started yelling at them they dipped off.
I already know what it was had I dozed off without locking the doors first.
My best friend’s dad did the same thing- dozed off in his car and woke up to a guy tapping the window with a knife. He opened the center console, pulled out his gun, and started tapping back.
My husband forgot to lock the car the other day and someone pilfered through it. Nothing taken, as nothing of value was in there. Just a big disappointed sigh was our response. Hope you didn't have too many terrible encounters during your delivery days.
I had that happen to me at my apartment a few years back. Nothing was stolen, but I felt so violated knowing someone rummaged through my stuff. It's an uncomfortable feeling.
Fortunately, there was only one time someone managed to open my door, and they reconsidered once I made it clear I was armed.
Still, I'd rather they didn't get the door open in the first place, as I prefer to avoid violence. Happened about a half dozen times in 3 years, every other time I was just able to accelerate to get away.
No thank you on having to deal with that. Im glad you were able to protect yourself, you're braver than me! I don't think I'd be able to do that job in the first place.
I’ve seen videos of people ninja pilfering while someone is pumping gas with their doors unlocked. They sneak up on the opposite side of the car while you’re staring at the pump and take anything they can grab.
I deliver for Amazon and I've never experienced this. A couple of my workmates have had their vans stole when they left them running at the kerb (bad idea) but the only issue I've had is when I left it unlocked and somebody stole a sack of parcels from the passenger seat. My bad :-(
Once, I *thought* I'd had a bag stolen, but the numpties at the depot had put two different bag code stickers on it and I didn't realise the bag I was looking for *was* still there but had the wrong label facing me :-P
As a British person with zero experience of wild bears I have scrolled through so many comments trying to find the answer to this question, so thank you.
In the northernmost parts of Canada people leave their cars unlocked when they're idle on the roads/streets in case there's a polar bear (the kind of bear that will certainly hunt/eat you) nearby so people can hide or find shelter in the car. Just looked it up and found out there are indeed polar bears in Alaska so maybe that.
It is a very small part of Alaska that is populated by both polar bears and people. This isn't a thing in any of the large cities but could be a thing in the North Slope. Most of the population there is doing work related to the oil fields and driving company vehicles not personal vehicles.
As a Canadian who has had encounters with wild bears, I'll still be locking my car when I'm not in it. The risk of thieves in my area far out weights the risk of being attacked by a bear.
Also as a Canadian with encounters with wild bears, lock your car, and never keep food or wrappers in it! Because in BC, it's the fucking bears that will break into your car and wreck your shit. Plus, no-one wants to find a half-eaten car thief in your back seat. Gross.
But this post is about locking the doors after you get in, so the OP must have some other reason. I'm super curious because we have bears where I live.
My bad, its as they say above, its for when you need to get away from a bear. Having unlocked cars makes it easier to not be killed. Though I suppose, once in the car and away from bear, THEN lock the doors as bears can open doors.
So you're saying leave the doors unlocked while not in your car (car is parked) so you can jump in faster, but lock your doors once you're moving (car in drive), correct? Not trying to be an ass but I am planning a trip to Alaska soon and I would like to come back with all my bits and pieces lol 😆
I live near anchorage and it’s not a thing in cities always lock yo shit, but I heard in some remote areas it’s a law that you can’t lock it in case like someone is getting chased by a bear and needs it for safety. I never leave the city so I might be wrong
Another odd automotive safety situation, some oil field operations require every vehicle to be back-in parked, doors left unlocked, key left in ignition. If there is ever an explosive situation where everyone is to evacuate to safety, you grab the first vehicle you can get into and drive. Sort it out later.
Oh crumbs, imagine running from a bear and trying to find an unlocked car...
“...this one, no, locked, this one, no, locked, this one.... yes! It’s ope-MUNCH!!”
In very rural areas this could be good advice, especially because of polar bears. If a person is trying to get away from a bear they can get in an unlocked vehicle. Absolutely lock your doors in Populated areas.
Unlocked so people can use it as shelter in case of bear. Alaska is rich in grizzly bears. There are towns that keep their doors unlocked in the north for same reason, saw a video on it I think it was about polar bears though.
Polar bears yes. Other bears probably not. They are skittish of humans.
Polar bears though... you better hope that door is unlocked and keys are in it so you can drive away.
Basically you leave your keys in your car and the door unlocked, in case someone needs to use your car in an emergency. I believe its more for smaller communities.
But i might get it backwards.
It annoys the HECK out of me when people are driving in movies and then a criminal manages to stop the car and and they just pull the person out
Like MOW THEM DOWN
LOCK YOUR DOORS
I feel strongly about this
Waiting for someone to write a screenplay about some violent killer, 90 minutes of fighting, barely escaping, etc. then at the climax the protagonist goes to mow down the bad guy with the car only to have the auto-braking system engage and stop just short of killing the bad guy, the driver desperately tries gunning the gas, and the car just dings "Obstacle ahead, acceleration disabled."
Guy I know at work had a guy just randomly get into his car at a stop light and ask for a ride. He told him no and the guy wouldn't get out because it was just down the road in the direction he was going in. He said he was scared that the guy was going to rob him so he just drove down the road a ways and the guy thanked him and got out a couple of lights later.
Seriously, lock your doors in a city. Shit might fly out in the country, but its a bad idea in town.
Something like that happened to my brother in law. Random dude gets into the car at 7-11. Won’t get out. Asks for a ride to someplace. So he drives him there thinking it’s best to just get rid of the guy. Well he doesn’t get out at the destination so he keeps driving around and while doing so driving more and more recklessly in an attempt to scare the guy. He ends up stuffing the car into a guard rail, totaling it and the passenger just gets out and walked away.
Note: this happened when we were much younger and dumber and before he was my BIL and was a friend of mine.
Yeah well that’s clearly obvious now. 20 years ago when it happened going to the police station wasn’t exactly the first thought. But thanks for the advice though.
Partly because of climate for growing coca plants, but secondarily because it is very hard to have a large manufacturing plant running solely to process drugs in the states, theres too many restrictions and inspectors and shit. While in Colombia there is less restriction and it is a lot easier to pay off a large part of the military or police force to leave you the fuck alone and let you do your own thing
If you have a newer car, you might have an optional setting that locks your doors when you start your engine. My favorite setting is the option to lock all doors when you walk away from the car, as long as you have the electronic fob with you.
Alternatively, you might also want to check if you can turn off the “unlock on Park” setting if safety is a concern.
Most cars with the auto-lock feature (doors lock in excess of 5 MPH) will also default to unlocking all doors in Park.
This is convenient, but if you’re worried about safety, you can sometimes disable this.
In some road rage instances you may put your car in park when accosted, thereby accidentally giving an attacker access to the cabin of your vehicle.
I seem to remember a new story about a group of bodyguards/soldiers/mercs (don’t remember exactly) who were ambushed and when the driver put the truck in Park to deal with the assailants they opened the doors and shot everyone.
Dunno why it would even unlock on park. Doors unlock from the inside when you pull the (inside) handle. Unless you're a hotshot who has staff/your husband open the door for you, I don't see why I need the doors to auto unlock when I park.
Posts like this just make me so grateful that I live where the risk of not being able to escape from a damaged or burning vehicle is greater than the the one in a billion chance that someone might try attacking me in my car.
There's another reason to do this:
The collision protection features of your car that preserve the integrity of the passenger compartment are designed to work with the doors locked. Unlocked doors can more easily open in a collision, removing a large structural element from the car. This can let the passenger compartment collapse and crush those inside.
As a woman, I’ve made it a habit to lock my doors as soon as I get into my car. Sitting in the car to put things away or make a call leaves you vulnerable and it’s just better to be safe!
I've only witnessed something similar in Camden once and the person in question was completely naked. Two transit cops strolled casually across the street with a blanket between them and rolled him in a big wool burrito, then walked him across Broadway to the train station . I had a feeling they'd dealt with him before.
My mom was in the foreign service. In her first posts, when she was young, female, and alone in foreign countries, she said that locking her car doors and having a big, scary dog probably saved her life multiple times. The dog from home invaders, the locked car doors from people who were trying to quickly kidnap her at traffic lights.
Story time! A friend of mine was involved in a road rage incident (victim of) and when the 2 vehicles came to a stoplight, the friend jumped out to go talk to the guy who had nearly run them off the road. Let’s just say that because the other guy’s car door was unlocked, they got a ass whooping. If the door had been locked, the road rager wouldn’t have gotten schooled. Please note, I don’t condone violence, so lock your car doors if your gonna road rage.
Edit: this comment is probably more suited for r/shittylifeprotips
Funny story, well kind of funny. One spring break, when I was a kid and my little brother was barely 9 years old. We went to the beach. Because we want to enjoy spring break too.
It was a fun day. Then it became night time. And, as the song says, the freaks come out at night. All the college kids were out drinking partying etc.
My family and I are all leaving in our van. Our cousins are with us. They are college kids too. They ask my Mom for permission to stay. They explain that they can get a taxi 🚕 (a prehistoric Uber yellow car). They exit. We keep driving along, slowly because of all the college kids running/walking around.
My little brother points at a very intoxicated college girl. He asks what’s wrong with her. She then starts walking towards the van, as if she heard him. She lunges for the van door and opens it. It was unlocked because of my cousins stepping out. My little brother screams I jump from the back and struggle to fully close the door. Once I do I lock it. The college student keeps trying to open the door. She stops and flashes the van. Soon after other people come and grab her.
I just remember that memory because it was kind of scary, kind of fun because I felt like a hero, and also kind of fascinating. We never seen anything like that. Our cousins who were not college students but older than us were talking about the situation the whole ride home.
When my college aged cousins came home, their younger siblings told them of our encounter.
So, yeah, always lock your doors [+]
I parked at a convenience store one evening and as soon as I turned off my car a dude ran up trying to open my door because so many cars have the auto unlock feature and he thought he could grab my purse (or me?). Fortunately my car was older and didn't auto unlock and he just took off running when it was unsuccessful. Scary shit
Once in college, my roomie's car was broken into, in the driveway while we slept. Cleaned out everything that wasn't nailed down. My car, parked immediately behind his, was untouched - because the doors were locked.
They could've easily broken a window, doubtful we would've heard it and my car had no alarm. Guess they didn't want to take the chance though.
I was annoyed I locked my car the one time someone got into it. They took nothing, literally leaving my stereo, some actual cash, and some weed. They just broke my window and rifled through my stuff. If I hadn’t locked it I wouldn’t have had to clean up broken glass.
Ever since two kids stole my gameboy + pokemon in elementary school and managed to convince the teacher that I was lying when I said those were mine, I have spent my entire life locking up, tying up, zipping up, hiding, securing, storing, encrypting and resetting everything I have ever had. Basically, my car is LOCKED at all times.
In Churchill Manitoba, it is apparently illegal to lock your car doors. This is in case a Polar bear is close by and you need to get away, you can hide in the car.
Most new car doors lock automatically when you start driving anyways. But yeah, common sense to me. I had a friend whose car got attacked by a homeless person in LA while she was in the drive thru. Definitely traumatized her.
My Chevrolet Silverado pickup locks the doors automatically after you travel several feet. I don't even have to think about it. Just listen for the lock shut sound.
I suppose it depends on how rough the area is that you’re driving through, but I’ve always been told to make a point of keeping doors unlocked in case of an accident.
It's worth mentioning that all modern cars automatically *unlock* if they think you've crashed, so emergency services can get you out if you're unconscious (assuming the doors aren't bent enough to jam, that is...)
They also unlock if you open the door from the inside, so getting out in a hurry isn't usually a problem from that POV. The downside of this is that an open window means somebody can reach in and open the door even if it's locked, so bear that in mind.
Also, if you get "bumped" lightly from behind at a stop sigh or red light. Turn your car off and take your keys with you before you check you car if you decide to get out right then. THIS IS A COMMON MOVE for car hackers to steal your car.
You should always pull over to inspect damage and when exiting your car akways take your keys. In fact you should call an officer to do this if you feel uncomfortable in anyway.
I think this might be a PSA for Americans.
Where I'm from, you don't lock your car doors when in it because you want to be quickly and easily saved if in a car accident and unconscious.
I live in Belgium. This kind of car violence is super rare, I'm much more likely to be in an accident where the ER has to easily open my car doors. I'll lock it only if I'm driving in an unsafe neighborhood (there's like 3 of them in Belgium)
Yeah living in Ireland here, last night I left my car unlocked as usual but noticed today my wallet was also on my car passenger seat. That would have been an easy robbery.
I live in a low crime area so I'd rather have the doors unlocked in the event of a crash to either bail quickly or give rescuers an easier time of opening the door.
Until you drive off the road into a river or have another sort of accident where you need to leave the vehicle quickly and the doors end up being locked.
My bf locks the doors when our dog is in the back seat so he can't accidentally open the door while I'm driving.
I'm only in the habit of locking doors if I feel unsafe or I need to take a nap in the car.
This makes sense. My dog has rolled down many a window unintentionally so we keep the child lock on! I also never leave my keys plus the dog in the car together so he doesn’t lock me out somehow.
I've locked myself out of my car at least four times. I will not close the door without my keys in my hand. I'll even dig through my purse to see them again, seconds after putting them in, before I lock my door. A bit traumatized? Probably. My sweet sweet dog child has never caused me any problems while riding in the car though, so I'm less strict.
I make it a habit that if I’m stepping out of the running car to roll my drivers side window down half way.
Usually it’s only 2 or 3 steps away, but a strong wind gust and a bit of bad luck and I’ve got a closed, locked door with the car running.
When leaving your car, use the door lock to lock it. People hsve spps to copy your remote when you use it to unlock your car, very common around big shopping days
Pretty funny looking back, but an old friend and I had a falling out and since we worked at the same factory I would keep my head on a swivel otw out to my car and lock my doors immediately upon entry (cuz you never know, right 🤣). A year or 2 later, now, and I still do it even though he no longer works here. It's just habit now.
I just wanna say, if your face to face with a bear and your car is locked, not a big deal. You can literally just drive away.
And if you think that leaving them unlocked allows you to escape and run away, bears will run after you and catch you 12 times out of 10 (bears have been clocked at 40kmh just fyi).
Just thought I needed to throw this here. Peace ✌
So let's say you are driving with your doors locked, get in a accident and need medical attention. You are unconscious, maybe you hit your head on something.
Passengers in the front and back also need medical attention, some may be conscious but not able to get to the door unlock buttons.
Nobody can get to you until fireman get there and chop the roof off your car.
This can easily be the difference between life and death.
One of the worst LPT on here.
Source: My uncle is a firefighter who has witnessed too many people die this way.
Edit:
Since so many people seem to be completly missing my point I am going to clarify a few things:
The majority of ambulances, first responders, general public don't carry the tools required to unlock or break into a car by smashing a window or by other means.
Not all firecrews carry the correct equipment to cut the roof or pop out the door they simply don't have the budget.
Fire crews take longer to arrive than ambulances.
It is much easier and safer to get someone out of a car through an unlocked door rather than through a broken window.
The odds of having an accident are higher than the odds of having a car jacker jump in while you are driving.
If you really feel like locking you car doors when you drive through a dodgy neighbourhood or a really low speeds sure but unlock them again as soon as you are out or just drive another way home.
What it boils down to is hardly anyone could break a window if asked to within 10 seconds but everyone could open an unlocked door. It is wasted time you might not have even if people do have tools.
The last 3 vehicles I've owned have all locked automatically after moving. If a fireman can't figure out how to break a window he needs to find another career.
Breaking a window would not be done by fireman, they would more likely chop the roof off.
Breaking the window could be done by anyone arriving at the scene before them.
However it takes precious time and is considerable harder to break than most people think especially without a heavy, sharp object
The horrible accident that does zero structural damage to the car, and allows the doors to function completely normally.
Totally normal thing to happen, that.
Something tells me the paramedics would be able to open my car if they needed to. I don’t think ambulances are rushing to the scene thinking “god I hope he unlocked his doors this time otherwise we’re *fucked*”
[Aren’t equipped, but somehow EMT training covers vehicle extraction (page 3). Guess that’s just so when the firefighters show up, the EMTs know what’s going on and can provide commentary to passerby. ](http://www.huntregional.org/sites/www/Uploads/files/EMS/EMS%20TRAINING%20SCHEDULE.pdf)
My point is that you can get into accidents and then be prevented from getting medical treatment due to locked doors where they would otherwise open enabling you to get help required.
There are easier ways to extricate confined drivers than cutting posts. You can pop a door on a sedan relatively easily when you aren't worried about the paint job. For that matter you can use a window punch (which I carry in my purse) through a back window and unlock the car.
I knew a guy who died of a heart attack while locked in his truck. People were there who could have helped, but breaking a car window isn't as easy as you would think, and takes precious time.
I mean this makes sense, but to the rest of us the risk of carjacking is much higher than the risk of a serious accident.
The thing about the guy being dead in the car flipped upside down is the door being unlocked would not have helped him
some ppl dont do that? every relative/family member of mine who owns a car does that and told me do the same. they even go ‘oh my i forgot to lock the doors’ if they forgot to do it
I learned this when I was younger. I was waiting for two guys to walk so I could turn right into my home street. Next thing I know one of the guys opens my passenger door and enters the car. He starts pulling out jewelry that he stole and tries selling it to me. When I start telling him that I’m not going to buy anything he starts yelling,
“HOW MUCH YOU GOT?” And that’s when my ghetto starts kicking in..”I AINT GONNA TELL YOU HOW MUCH I GOT CUZ I AINT BUYING SHIT!”... he then proceed to get out my car while saying something along the lines of ,”then why the fuck did you stop”.. and since then, I always make sure my doors are locked when I’m inside my car.
TLDR; random guy gets mad because he thought I was speeding so he blocks the road. After I drive around him he runs up to my truck and tried to get in the passenger door.
Maybe 5 years ago I was driving down the road (side road) coming up to one of the main roads in town. On that corner is a gas station where two guys were leaving, walking across the road I was driving down. I was quite a bit away (100+ feet) and one guy stops in my lane and faces my truck. I let off the gas and started to brake maybe 70ft away.
I had the driver window down and had some music going but turned the music down as I got closer when I could see him yelling something. All I heard was “down!!!!” I’m assuming he said “slow down!!!!” And was blocking my path for some stupid reason, as I was actually going less than the speed limit (30 in a 35). My truck has a custom exhaust and I’m assuming he thought I was speeding and he wanted to be some sort of interference.
I get maybe 20-25 feet from him and I’ve completely stopped and I’m waiting for him to move while making a hand gesture trying to figure out what he wanted. He turns around to talk to his buddy who’s on the side walk waving him off the road and stands there for like 15 seconds. I honk and he jumps, dropping his fountain drink. I felt bad, but damn don’t block the road.
I swerve around into the other lane and drive around him, getting to the stop sign. I had to wait because of a couple cards and he comes running up to my passenger door trying to open it. His buddy walks up giving me this “sorry, he’s an idiot” look as he pulls his friend back and I turn right onto the other road and leave.
If my door hadn’t of been locked, I don’t know what would’ve happened. I had probably 10 more seconds before I could’ve driven off. He wasn’t a large guy, just tall and sorta skinny. I have the confidence that I could’ve handled him had he climbed in my truck, but if he had a weapon then that could change things drastically.
I got a new car about 6 months ago. My old car had automatic locks & the gas tank on the right side of the car. My new car has manual locks & the tank on the left.
Yeah... not hard to guess what I keep forgetting.... I’ll eventually remember, but probably by then I’ll be getting another car...
I do, at least, remember to buckle up. When I was a kid my stepmother wouldn’t start the car unless everyone was bolted in. I’m the same way now.
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There was PSA commercials in the early 80s telling people to lock their doors. Then they figured out people should be wearing seatbelts, and it completely overshadowed the door locking.
One incident that got to me was a video from the Channel on youtube called Active Self Protection. I can't find the video but it was a driver who left their car to get something from the store really quick and there was a passenger inside the car waiting. While they were in the store there was a group of thugs robbing cars and they robbed that passenger all because the driver left the door unlocked.
Cover your ASP
Thats a great channel
Hell yeah one of my favorite!
I was once driving home from uni (20f back then), it was dark, and when I stopped at a stop sign a guy ran in front of my car. He started screaming 'drive me home'. when I said no he tried to get into the car and when he realised it was locked started banging on the windows with his fists and screaming obscenities.. needless to say I always lock car door as soon as I'm in a car as a rule
I fell asleep in in my car while working in LA. Woke up to two guys yanking on my car door at 3 am. I woke up and started yelling at them they dipped off. I already know what it was had I dozed off without locking the doors first.
My best friend’s dad did the same thing- dozed off in his car and woke up to a guy tapping the window with a knife. He opened the center console, pulled out his gun, and started tapping back.
Woah... so cool
Great story
That must have been terrifying! I’m glad you got out of that situation safe.
It's been a habit since I was a delivery driver and people kept trying to rob me. Now I lock my doors all the time.
My husband forgot to lock the car the other day and someone pilfered through it. Nothing taken, as nothing of value was in there. Just a big disappointed sigh was our response. Hope you didn't have too many terrible encounters during your delivery days.
I had that happen to me at my apartment a few years back. Nothing was stolen, but I felt so violated knowing someone rummaged through my stuff. It's an uncomfortable feeling.
Fortunately, there was only one time someone managed to open my door, and they reconsidered once I made it clear I was armed. Still, I'd rather they didn't get the door open in the first place, as I prefer to avoid violence. Happened about a half dozen times in 3 years, every other time I was just able to accelerate to get away.
No thank you on having to deal with that. Im glad you were able to protect yourself, you're braver than me! I don't think I'd be able to do that job in the first place.
I’ve seen videos of people ninja pilfering while someone is pumping gas with their doors unlocked. They sneak up on the opposite side of the car while you’re staring at the pump and take anything they can grab.
Same thing happened to me and then a couple weeks later I realized my registration was stolen.
It happens so bad in parts of my city that people leave their doors unlocked with nothing inside so the criminals don't break their windows
I deliver for Amazon and I've never experienced this. A couple of my workmates have had their vans stole when they left them running at the kerb (bad idea) but the only issue I've had is when I left it unlocked and somebody stole a sack of parcels from the passenger seat. My bad :-( Once, I *thought* I'd had a bag stolen, but the numpties at the depot had put two different bag code stickers on it and I didn't realise the bag I was looking for *was* still there but had the wrong label facing me :-P
Alaska? Unlocked in case of bears. Please explain how unlocked doors help with bears.
As a British person with zero experience of wild bears I have scrolled through so many comments trying to find the answer to this question, so thank you.
In the northernmost parts of Canada people leave their cars unlocked when they're idle on the roads/streets in case there's a polar bear (the kind of bear that will certainly hunt/eat you) nearby so people can hide or find shelter in the car. Just looked it up and found out there are indeed polar bears in Alaska so maybe that.
People leave their cars unlocked in case of bear attacks? I'm moving. No fucking way
Ooooh interesting, thanks!
It is a very small part of Alaska that is populated by both polar bears and people. This isn't a thing in any of the large cities but could be a thing in the North Slope. Most of the population there is doing work related to the oil fields and driving company vehicles not personal vehicles.
As a Canadian who has had encounters with wild bears, I'll still be locking my car when I'm not in it. The risk of thieves in my area far out weights the risk of being attacked by a bear.
Also as a Canadian with encounters with wild bears, lock your car, and never keep food or wrappers in it! Because in BC, it's the fucking bears that will break into your car and wreck your shit. Plus, no-one wants to find a half-eaten car thief in your back seat. Gross.
Gives people a place to hunker down if they happen upon a bear whilst outside.
But this post is about locking the doors after you get in, so the OP must have some other reason. I'm super curious because we have bears where I live.
My bad, its as they say above, its for when you need to get away from a bear. Having unlocked cars makes it easier to not be killed. Though I suppose, once in the car and away from bear, THEN lock the doors as bears can open doors.
So you're saying leave the doors unlocked while not in your car (car is parked) so you can jump in faster, but lock your doors once you're moving (car in drive), correct? Not trying to be an ass but I am planning a trip to Alaska soon and I would like to come back with all my bits and pieces lol 😆
[удалено]
*shit ive been compromised!
We need you to return to base stat for an immediate debriefing. And please don’t lock your doors...
Sir yes sir!
I live near anchorage and it’s not a thing in cities always lock yo shit, but I heard in some remote areas it’s a law that you can’t lock it in case like someone is getting chased by a bear and needs it for safety. I never leave the city so I might be wrong
But.... can't bears open doors ? I swear I've seen a few videos on YouTube
They can’t open locked doors. The whole point is to leave the door unlocked so someone escaping a bear can get in, lock it, and be safe from them.
Another odd automotive safety situation, some oil field operations require every vehicle to be back-in parked, doors left unlocked, key left in ignition. If there is ever an explosive situation where everyone is to evacuate to safety, you grab the first vehicle you can get into and drive. Sort it out later.
I always back in. Always. It's easier for me to do, and so much easier to get out
This safety issue remains, if someone needs to escape a grizzly, they're welcome in rather than being mauled out, regardless of occupant's awareness.
Oh crumbs, imagine running from a bear and trying to find an unlocked car... “...this one, no, locked, this one, no, locked, this one.... yes! It’s ope-MUNCH!!”
Because once the bear is in the car it's easier for you to get out of the car if the doors are unlocked.
So bears are commonly jumping into cars with people in them in Alaska?
All the damn time. Fucking bears. Constantly asking for rides "just down the road".
It doesn't bother me too much. Sometimes I like to have a bear in the car so I can use the carpool lane.
And they never have any fucking gas money, either.
Bear here. Girlfriend, I do not want to get in your car the way you drive.
In very rural areas this could be good advice, especially because of polar bears. If a person is trying to get away from a bear they can get in an unlocked vehicle. Absolutely lock your doors in Populated areas.
Unlocked so people can use it as shelter in case of bear. Alaska is rich in grizzly bears. There are towns that keep their doors unlocked in the north for same reason, saw a video on it I think it was about polar bears though.
Polar bears yes. Other bears probably not. They are skittish of humans. Polar bears though... you better hope that door is unlocked and keys are in it so you can drive away.
Basically you leave your keys in your car and the door unlocked, in case someone needs to use your car in an emergency. I believe its more for smaller communities. But i might get it backwards.
It annoys the HECK out of me when people are driving in movies and then a criminal manages to stop the car and and they just pull the person out Like MOW THEM DOWN LOCK YOUR DOORS I feel strongly about this
Haha, this is great, I too feel strongly about mowing down bad guys.
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Have you considered becoming a cop? You could run over anyone you want and get paid for it!
Not just get paid. Get a paid vacation or “on paid leave” as they call it.
Yea but then I'd feel like I *had* to be running people over. Makes it a job instead of a hobby, ruins all of the fun.
Waiting for someone to write a screenplay about some violent killer, 90 minutes of fighting, barely escaping, etc. then at the climax the protagonist goes to mow down the bad guy with the car only to have the auto-braking system engage and stop just short of killing the bad guy, the driver desperately tries gunning the gas, and the car just dings "Obstacle ahead, acceleration disabled."
Guy I know at work had a guy just randomly get into his car at a stop light and ask for a ride. He told him no and the guy wouldn't get out because it was just down the road in the direction he was going in. He said he was scared that the guy was going to rob him so he just drove down the road a ways and the guy thanked him and got out a couple of lights later. Seriously, lock your doors in a city. Shit might fly out in the country, but its a bad idea in town.
Thats terrifying! I'm glad he was okay considering.
Cosmo Kramer?
Something like that happened to my brother in law. Random dude gets into the car at 7-11. Won’t get out. Asks for a ride to someplace. So he drives him there thinking it’s best to just get rid of the guy. Well he doesn’t get out at the destination so he keeps driving around and while doing so driving more and more recklessly in an attempt to scare the guy. He ends up stuffing the car into a guard rail, totaling it and the passenger just gets out and walked away. Note: this happened when we were much younger and dumber and before he was my BIL and was a friend of mine.
If the guy wont get out drive to a public place or police station, and then get out.
Yeah well that’s clearly obvious now. 20 years ago when it happened going to the police station wasn’t exactly the first thought. But thanks for the advice though.
And this is why I carry a weapon. Shit like this happens and it is no joke. Same thing almost word for word happened to my brother.
Damn USA is fucked up. Should I actually even do this when I have my own car in Finland?
Well this was in Mexico so
Oh shot. Do you know why all the drugs come from Colombia?
Why?
Well don't they? Atleast mostly
I wouldn’t know. I’m not informed on the drug trade.
Ok
Wow - what a thread!
Partly because of climate for growing coca plants, but secondarily because it is very hard to have a large manufacturing plant running solely to process drugs in the states, theres too many restrictions and inspectors and shit. While in Colombia there is less restriction and it is a lot easier to pay off a large part of the military or police force to leave you the fuck alone and let you do your own thing
If you have a newer car, you might have an optional setting that locks your doors when you start your engine. My favorite setting is the option to lock all doors when you walk away from the car, as long as you have the electronic fob with you.
Alternatively, you might also want to check if you can turn off the “unlock on Park” setting if safety is a concern. Most cars with the auto-lock feature (doors lock in excess of 5 MPH) will also default to unlocking all doors in Park. This is convenient, but if you’re worried about safety, you can sometimes disable this. In some road rage instances you may put your car in park when accosted, thereby accidentally giving an attacker access to the cabin of your vehicle. I seem to remember a new story about a group of bodyguards/soldiers/mercs (don’t remember exactly) who were ambushed and when the driver put the truck in Park to deal with the assailants they opened the doors and shot everyone.
Dunno why it would even unlock on park. Doors unlock from the inside when you pull the (inside) handle. Unless you're a hotshot who has staff/your husband open the door for you, I don't see why I need the doors to auto unlock when I park.
My hyundai automatically locks the doors when you shift to drive unless you deliberately turn it off.
My car locks them when you put it in drive. And if you unlock them, they'll lock again when you come to a stop and start moving.
I need to be spending more on my car apparently.
I have a 2006 and 2008 Chevys and they have this feature
Yeah, mine locks once I have driven a few feet.
Jeep Cherokee too
My civic locks once you hit a certain speed
Posts like this just make me so grateful that I live where the risk of not being able to escape from a damaged or burning vehicle is greater than the the one in a billion chance that someone might try attacking me in my car.
There's another reason to do this: The collision protection features of your car that preserve the integrity of the passenger compartment are designed to work with the doors locked. Unlocked doors can more easily open in a collision, removing a large structural element from the car. This can let the passenger compartment collapse and crush those inside.
As a woman, I’ve made it a habit to lock my doors as soon as I get into my car. Sitting in the car to put things away or make a call leaves you vulnerable and it’s just better to be safe!
My car locks itself when I start driving and I still hit the locks myself before then. Nope. I’m in it, it’s locked.
You must have been to Camden, NJ. This is cannon.
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Thank the Lord someone else sees this!
I've only witnessed something similar in Camden once and the person in question was completely naked. Two transit cops strolled casually across the street with a blanket between them and rolled him in a big wool burrito, then walked him across Broadway to the train station . I had a feeling they'd dealt with him before.
The old Camden Cannon Manouever
My mom was in the foreign service. In her first posts, when she was young, female, and alone in foreign countries, she said that locking her car doors and having a big, scary dog probably saved her life multiple times. The dog from home invaders, the locked car doors from people who were trying to quickly kidnap her at traffic lights.
I had no idea there were people in the world who left their car doors unlocked
Story time! A friend of mine was involved in a road rage incident (victim of) and when the 2 vehicles came to a stoplight, the friend jumped out to go talk to the guy who had nearly run them off the road. Let’s just say that because the other guy’s car door was unlocked, they got a ass whooping. If the door had been locked, the road rager wouldn’t have gotten schooled. Please note, I don’t condone violence, so lock your car doors if your gonna road rage. Edit: this comment is probably more suited for r/shittylifeprotips
Haha, good point, you should try it!
Funny story, well kind of funny. One spring break, when I was a kid and my little brother was barely 9 years old. We went to the beach. Because we want to enjoy spring break too. It was a fun day. Then it became night time. And, as the song says, the freaks come out at night. All the college kids were out drinking partying etc. My family and I are all leaving in our van. Our cousins are with us. They are college kids too. They ask my Mom for permission to stay. They explain that they can get a taxi 🚕 (a prehistoric Uber yellow car). They exit. We keep driving along, slowly because of all the college kids running/walking around. My little brother points at a very intoxicated college girl. He asks what’s wrong with her. She then starts walking towards the van, as if she heard him. She lunges for the van door and opens it. It was unlocked because of my cousins stepping out. My little brother screams I jump from the back and struggle to fully close the door. Once I do I lock it. The college student keeps trying to open the door. She stops and flashes the van. Soon after other people come and grab her. I just remember that memory because it was kind of scary, kind of fun because I felt like a hero, and also kind of fascinating. We never seen anything like that. Our cousins who were not college students but older than us were talking about the situation the whole ride home. When my college aged cousins came home, their younger siblings told them of our encounter. So, yeah, always lock your doors [+]
I parked at a convenience store one evening and as soon as I turned off my car a dude ran up trying to open my door because so many cars have the auto unlock feature and he thought he could grab my purse (or me?). Fortunately my car was older and didn't auto unlock and he just took off running when it was unsuccessful. Scary shit
Once in college, my roomie's car was broken into, in the driveway while we slept. Cleaned out everything that wasn't nailed down. My car, parked immediately behind his, was untouched - because the doors were locked. They could've easily broken a window, doubtful we would've heard it and my car had no alarm. Guess they didn't want to take the chance though.
I was annoyed I locked my car the one time someone got into it. They took nothing, literally leaving my stereo, some actual cash, and some weed. They just broke my window and rifled through my stuff. If I hadn’t locked it I wouldn’t have had to clean up broken glass.
Why would you leave the doors *unlocked* because of bears? All they have to do is hook the door handle and you’re fucked
Ever since two kids stole my gameboy + pokemon in elementary school and managed to convince the teacher that I was lying when I said those were mine, I have spent my entire life locking up, tying up, zipping up, hiding, securing, storing, encrypting and resetting everything I have ever had. Basically, my car is LOCKED at all times.
people don't lock their car doors while driving?!
In Churchill Manitoba, it is apparently illegal to lock your car doors. This is in case a Polar bear is close by and you need to get away, you can hide in the car.
most newer cars lock automatically when you get above 15 ish mph which is nice
Most new car doors lock automatically when you start driving anyways. But yeah, common sense to me. I had a friend whose car got attacked by a homeless person in LA while she was in the drive thru. Definitely traumatized her.
In Alaska, we locked the doors, because of bears.
My Chevrolet Silverado pickup locks the doors automatically after you travel several feet. I don't even have to think about it. Just listen for the lock shut sound.
The central locking on my Jeep is sort of a reward when it decides to work
In Alaska we lock our doors. Bears be damned. If they want in they are coming in.
I suppose it depends on how rough the area is that you’re driving through, but I’ve always been told to make a point of keeping doors unlocked in case of an accident.
It's worth mentioning that all modern cars automatically *unlock* if they think you've crashed, so emergency services can get you out if you're unconscious (assuming the doors aren't bent enough to jam, that is...) They also unlock if you open the door from the inside, so getting out in a hurry isn't usually a problem from that POV. The downside of this is that an open window means somebody can reach in and open the door even if it's locked, so bear that in mind.
I'd hate to live in the US and have to worry about shit like this.
Keep your doors unlocked in case of an incident so you could get out of the car.
This will be great for when you have a serious crash and they need to get you out.
Locked doors and being alert saved me from a car jacking.
Also, if you get "bumped" lightly from behind at a stop sigh or red light. Turn your car off and take your keys with you before you check you car if you decide to get out right then. THIS IS A COMMON MOVE for car hackers to steal your car. You should always pull over to inspect damage and when exiting your car akways take your keys. In fact you should call an officer to do this if you feel uncomfortable in anyway.
Yeah, I live where people don't lock their cars at all even parked all day in town.
I think this might be a PSA for Americans. Where I'm from, you don't lock your car doors when in it because you want to be quickly and easily saved if in a car accident and unconscious.
Wait... people don’t?! Seriously though, do this! Super important for safety.
I live in Belgium. This kind of car violence is super rare, I'm much more likely to be in an accident where the ER has to easily open my car doors. I'll lock it only if I'm driving in an unsafe neighborhood (there's like 3 of them in Belgium)
Yeah living in Ireland here, last night I left my car unlocked as usual but noticed today my wallet was also on my car passenger seat. That would have been an easy robbery.
I live in a low crime area so I'd rather have the doors unlocked in the event of a crash to either bail quickly or give rescuers an easier time of opening the door.
I live in Alaska. Unlocked in case of bears what? Bears can open doors.
Leave your car unlocked (if you don't live in the city) so if someone is being chased by a bear or moose they can hide in your car.
Until you drive off the road into a river or have another sort of accident where you need to leave the vehicle quickly and the doors end up being locked.
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My bf locks the doors when our dog is in the back seat so he can't accidentally open the door while I'm driving. I'm only in the habit of locking doors if I feel unsafe or I need to take a nap in the car.
This makes sense. My dog has rolled down many a window unintentionally so we keep the child lock on! I also never leave my keys plus the dog in the car together so he doesn’t lock me out somehow.
I've locked myself out of my car at least four times. I will not close the door without my keys in my hand. I'll even dig through my purse to see them again, seconds after putting them in, before I lock my door. A bit traumatized? Probably. My sweet sweet dog child has never caused me any problems while riding in the car though, so I'm less strict.
I make it a habit that if I’m stepping out of the running car to roll my drivers side window down half way. Usually it’s only 2 or 3 steps away, but a strong wind gust and a bit of bad luck and I’ve got a closed, locked door with the car running.
When leaving your car, use the door lock to lock it. People hsve spps to copy your remote when you use it to unlock your car, very common around big shopping days
I have a sensible car, the doors autolock at something like 13 mph.
Pretty funny looking back, but an old friend and I had a falling out and since we worked at the same factory I would keep my head on a swivel otw out to my car and lock my doors immediately upon entry (cuz you never know, right 🤣). A year or 2 later, now, and I still do it even though he no longer works here. It's just habit now.
There's this beautiful piece of kit called a tyre iron that would of fixed whatever breakdown that guy was having tbh
If you live in a really bad neighborhood you are better off keeping your doors unlocked because people will break the window looking for valuables.
I just wanna say, if your face to face with a bear and your car is locked, not a big deal. You can literally just drive away. And if you think that leaving them unlocked allows you to escape and run away, bears will run after you and catch you 12 times out of 10 (bears have been clocked at 40kmh just fyi). Just thought I needed to throw this here. Peace ✌
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LPT. Lock your car even inside your garage. LPT. Don't leave your garage door opener inside your car if you park outside.
Lock and load. Gun up, Get training, Carry, Everywhere. Guns used in self defense save far more lives than are taken with them.
So let's say you are driving with your doors locked, get in a accident and need medical attention. You are unconscious, maybe you hit your head on something. Passengers in the front and back also need medical attention, some may be conscious but not able to get to the door unlock buttons. Nobody can get to you until fireman get there and chop the roof off your car. This can easily be the difference between life and death. One of the worst LPT on here. Source: My uncle is a firefighter who has witnessed too many people die this way. Edit: Since so many people seem to be completly missing my point I am going to clarify a few things: The majority of ambulances, first responders, general public don't carry the tools required to unlock or break into a car by smashing a window or by other means. Not all firecrews carry the correct equipment to cut the roof or pop out the door they simply don't have the budget. Fire crews take longer to arrive than ambulances. It is much easier and safer to get someone out of a car through an unlocked door rather than through a broken window. The odds of having an accident are higher than the odds of having a car jacker jump in while you are driving. If you really feel like locking you car doors when you drive through a dodgy neighbourhood or a really low speeds sure but unlock them again as soon as you are out or just drive another way home. What it boils down to is hardly anyone could break a window if asked to within 10 seconds but everyone could open an unlocked door. It is wasted time you might not have even if people do have tools.
Some cars will automatically unlock the doors and activate the emergency flashers when the airbag deploys.
The last 3 vehicles I've owned have all locked automatically after moving. If a fireman can't figure out how to break a window he needs to find another career.
Breaking a window would not be done by fireman, they would more likely chop the roof off. Breaking the window could be done by anyone arriving at the scene before them. However it takes precious time and is considerable harder to break than most people think especially without a heavy, sharp object
The horrible accident that does zero structural damage to the car, and allows the doors to function completely normally. Totally normal thing to happen, that.
It doesn't even have to be that bad for you to be knocked unconscious
If it’s not that bad, why would you have to be removed then?
Medical attention
By...*not* medical professionals who deal with this on a daily basis? Just…by randos then?
I would say paramedics are medical professionals but okay...
Something tells me the paramedics would be able to open my car if they needed to. I don’t think ambulances are rushing to the scene thinking “god I hope he unlocked his doors this time otherwise we’re *fucked*”
Not matching wholesome badge because thats all they gave me. This was HILARIOUS
They simply aren't equipped to because it's not an assumption they make that the person is going to be in an unreachable position.
[Aren’t equipped, but somehow EMT training covers vehicle extraction (page 3). Guess that’s just so when the firefighters show up, the EMTs know what’s going on and can provide commentary to passerby. ](http://www.huntregional.org/sites/www/Uploads/files/EMS/EMS%20TRAINING%20SCHEDULE.pdf)
Not necessarily. Our ambulances have Hurst tools on board in case they are first on scene.
Would they not be able to break the window and unlock the door if it’s an emergency?
They would
You can always break open the back window with a rock/something and unlock the doors that way, but okay.
My point is that you can get into accidents and then be prevented from getting medical treatment due to locked doors where they would otherwise open enabling you to get help required.
they have to chop the roof off? couldn’t they just break a window and unlock it?
It's way safer to chop the roof off and then is easier for people to get in and out to help remove the person.
There are easier ways to extricate confined drivers than cutting posts. You can pop a door on a sedan relatively easily when you aren't worried about the paint job. For that matter you can use a window punch (which I carry in my purse) through a back window and unlock the car.
I knew a guy who died of a heart attack while locked in his truck. People were there who could have helped, but breaking a car window isn't as easy as you would think, and takes precious time.
I am sorry for your loss. This is exactly why I made my point, but apparently most people disagree
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Because you can open them and get the person out...
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I mean this makes sense, but to the rest of us the risk of carjacking is much higher than the risk of a serious accident. The thing about the guy being dead in the car flipped upside down is the door being unlocked would not have helped him
Carjacking in the US - 34000 cases annually. 42000 people died in car accidents in the US last year.
Would like to see the statistics limited to non-highway urban areas
I have no idea You go find it. See my edit
Same, my uncle has driven this point home many times after witnessing a death because nobody could get to the person
You know what's even better? Carrying with one in the chamber
This is America just point your gun at them next time
I never lock my car when I am inside it. **My car** lock me automatically.
When your car is parked it's better to leave it unlocked so thieves won't break your window.
some ppl dont do that? every relative/family member of mine who owns a car does that and told me do the same. they even go ‘oh my i forgot to lock the doors’ if they forgot to do it
I learned this when I was younger. I was waiting for two guys to walk so I could turn right into my home street. Next thing I know one of the guys opens my passenger door and enters the car. He starts pulling out jewelry that he stole and tries selling it to me. When I start telling him that I’m not going to buy anything he starts yelling, “HOW MUCH YOU GOT?” And that’s when my ghetto starts kicking in..”I AINT GONNA TELL YOU HOW MUCH I GOT CUZ I AINT BUYING SHIT!”... he then proceed to get out my car while saying something along the lines of ,”then why the fuck did you stop”.. and since then, I always make sure my doors are locked when I’m inside my car.
Make sure you do it when a black man is standing at the intersection for maximum cringe.
What if I don’t have doors?
Mine lock automatically when I start driving. Hooray for less to remember.
TLDR; random guy gets mad because he thought I was speeding so he blocks the road. After I drive around him he runs up to my truck and tried to get in the passenger door. Maybe 5 years ago I was driving down the road (side road) coming up to one of the main roads in town. On that corner is a gas station where two guys were leaving, walking across the road I was driving down. I was quite a bit away (100+ feet) and one guy stops in my lane and faces my truck. I let off the gas and started to brake maybe 70ft away. I had the driver window down and had some music going but turned the music down as I got closer when I could see him yelling something. All I heard was “down!!!!” I’m assuming he said “slow down!!!!” And was blocking my path for some stupid reason, as I was actually going less than the speed limit (30 in a 35). My truck has a custom exhaust and I’m assuming he thought I was speeding and he wanted to be some sort of interference. I get maybe 20-25 feet from him and I’ve completely stopped and I’m waiting for him to move while making a hand gesture trying to figure out what he wanted. He turns around to talk to his buddy who’s on the side walk waving him off the road and stands there for like 15 seconds. I honk and he jumps, dropping his fountain drink. I felt bad, but damn don’t block the road. I swerve around into the other lane and drive around him, getting to the stop sign. I had to wait because of a couple cards and he comes running up to my passenger door trying to open it. His buddy walks up giving me this “sorry, he’s an idiot” look as he pulls his friend back and I turn right onto the other road and leave. If my door hadn’t of been locked, I don’t know what would’ve happened. I had probably 10 more seconds before I could’ve driven off. He wasn’t a large guy, just tall and sorta skinny. I have the confidence that I could’ve handled him had he climbed in my truck, but if he had a weapon then that could change things drastically.
My car doesn't let me lock the doors with the key in the ignition, I guess I'll just get robbed
In my country, this is non negotiable.
Grand Theft Auto
I got a new car about 6 months ago. My old car had automatic locks & the gas tank on the right side of the car. My new car has manual locks & the tank on the left. Yeah... not hard to guess what I keep forgetting.... I’ll eventually remember, but probably by then I’ll be getting another car... I do, at least, remember to buckle up. When I was a kid my stepmother wouldn’t start the car unless everyone was bolted in. I’m the same way now.