I win the triple crown of stupidity today

[Canadian In Maine]

1)Get stuck in snow, check

2)Lock keys in car, check

3)Lock keys in car WITH car running, check

I did this last winter, thankfully I was at home when it happened so I was able to wait in the house for assistance.

I fully blame the power locks and the fact that my thick mittens hit the lock button on the fob when I put the keys in the ignition.

[mathnerd]

Whenever I need to get out of my car but leave the keys in (e.g. warming up when transferring stuff from my truck at the end of the week, jump starting someone's car, etc.), I always either unlock the rear door or roll down the window, just in case I have a brain burp and lock the door on getting out.

I do the same thing with the windows. I'm a bit paranoid about locking myself out, yet I still do it on a fairly regular basis. Now, of course, I have kids to help me in the mission of doing stupid things. A little over a year ago my then 13 year old managed to lock my keys in my car at a truck stop in El Paso. Thank goodness for AAA.

[wolfie]

I had a key-related "oops" last week, but in the opposite manner. I dropped my truck off at my mechanic for repairs, then went to get lunch. While I was eating, I got a call from my mechanic - he couldn't find the keys to my truck. No wonder - they were clipped to my belt loop. My normal reaction had taken hold - park the truck, take the keys.

Whenever I need to get out of my car but leave the keys in (e.g. warming up when transferring stuff from my truck at the end of the week, jump starting someone's car, etc.), I always either unlock the rear door or roll down the window, just in case I have a brain burp and lock the door on getting out. Note that I don't have power locks - on a car with power locks that treat the driver's door lock as the "master" (i.e. lock all doors when that one is locked), rolling down the window is the ONLY safe route, since the "backup plan" door would lock itself if you accidentally lock the driver's door. Of course, some genius at a car company is going to come up with a "helpful" system that sees you locking the driver's door, and not only locks the other doors, but rolls up the windows you left down.

[BrenDAnn]

The one and only time I locked myself out of the car was at the gas pump. At work. I wasn't on duty at the time, but it was still embarrassing. I had to wait for my Dad to come from home with the spare key so I could be on my way. Ever since then, I make sure to leave the door open and/or pull the keys OUT of the ignition when I get gas.

[bbbr]

I managed to lock myself out my crown vic wagon one cold rainy day at the end of a mtn bike ride shortly back in the mid 90's. I was lucky enough to flag down a copy and and he agreed to try and pop my lock with his slim Jim (after telling me "Don't know if I can do this, always had a hard opening my cruiser..."). After 5 minutes of effort he got my doors open and I was out of weather having learned a valuable lesson. The same day I had a spare key made and tucked it into a small magnetic box I hid deep in the engine compartment.

I would like to say it never happened again but then again, I have aaa on speed dial...

[Victory Sabre]

Close to 25 years ago my grandpa recommended that I carry a second set of keys in my wallet. It has saved me a few times over the years.

[drjonah]

Forgot to add how my keys ended up locked in. I thought I had my car in neutral to try pushing it back into my parking space. Turned out I had it in drive so my car automatically locks itself once the door closes.

Also forgot, besides the car running and the keys locked in the car, my cell phone was in there and my snow shovel. I'm grateful I was at home when this happened so I could just wait inside my apartment for the tow truck to show up. He finally showed up an hour and a half later and my car was still running, boy was it nice and toasty inside!

[drunkenwildmage]

I always carry a second key with me.. Habit I had gotten from back when I when I used to delivery pizza.

With that being said, the one vehicle I only have access to 1 key, I manage to lock myself out, while it was running.

Couple years ago, I had to go to a remote site at my current job to do some field work. I had pulled the department truck up to my car so I could get my tool bag out of the trunk, got out and popped the truck on my car, grabbed my took bag, and realized that out of habit locked the door, and closed it with the truck was still running. This was in the parking lot at my office, so I called my officemate, and had him come out and unlock the truck with his key.

[TawnyMyst]

I love my new truck, I can't physically lock my keys in the truck. If the key fob is anywhere in the truck the doors will not lock.

[mhkohne]

I actually managed to give the key to my friend about 20 minutes before I went to the bank and locked the key in the car I had just bought. Fortunately, that bank was 10 minutes from the office where we worked, but it was still pretty bad.

I now only lock the car from the outside. Makes it much harder to lock the keys in the vehicle.

[mathnerd]

I don't know. I've found that the sheer perversity of the universe means that if you are prepared for this, it rarely happens. It's the day you get complacent and take the key back that you lock them both in the car...

You do have a point. The only time I locked myself out of my car the entire time I lived in ND was in the couple months it took me to make a friend I trusted enough to give a key to. After I gave somebody a key, I lived there for years without it happening again. Come to think of it, that friend still has a key to my car, though I'm over 1000 miles away now.

[Argus]

A couple jobs back, I put a spare key in my desk at work. One time when I locked my keys in the car at the grocery store, that enabled me to call the office in the evening and ask the one person who hadn't quite left yet to bring it to me on his way home (maybe a couple blocks out of his way). A later time they got locked in the car in front of my apartment, which happened to be about three miles from work. After-hours office access was controlled with a card that I had in my wallet, so a couple hikes later everything was fine.

[sms001]

spare car key to a friend and ask her to keep it in a safe place. There will come a time when I will need it,

I don't know. I've found that the sheer perversity of the universe means that if you are prepared for this, it rarely happens. It's the day you get complacent and take the key back that you lock them both in the car...

[mathnerd]

I'd be the one to do that too. There's a reason why the first thing I did when I arrived in my current town is hand my spare car key to a friend and ask her to keep it in a safe place. There will come a time when I will need it, and probably sooner rather than later.

[prjkt]

I was almost as bad
Running late for work, left shop keys in the car (was ok, not the manager on duty that day)
Then I left my car keys in the shop at the end of the day (luckily the MoD was still within earshot, or it would have been a LONG walk on in 30+C temps)