Blip on the Creepy Radar

[RecoveringKinkoid]

As I don't drive I can't say much on the ethics behind, however:

Most newer cars I have been in as of late will lock the doors once you go over a certain speed (generally around 20 mph).

Yeah. Mine does when I hit fifteen.

On one hand, that does not help my claustrophobia.

On the other, I always lock the back doors even if I don't usually lock the driver's door. A friend of mine got jacked when some assholes jumped into his back seat at a red light. Considering my friend used to drive an Impala, I'd say these were particularly stupid or desperate assholes.

Anyways, I drive a van, and you ought to lock at least the back doors if you're driving something assholes might jump into. I only drive around with a locked door on the driver's side now because I don't have much choice.

[Sapphire Silk]

As I don't drive I can't say much on the ethics behind, however:

Most newer cars I have been in as of late will lock the doors once you go over a certain speed (generally around 20 mph).

My car locks 9 seconds after it begins moving, regardless of speed.

The only downside, is the passenger doors don't automatically unlock (like the driver's) when I stop the engine. I have to do it. The owner's manual has a procedure to change this, but it didn't work the first time I tried it (gotta try again . . . it's getting annoying).

[Chromatix]

London-type taxis automatically lock the doors when moving, and have done for a long time. With taxi drivers being professionals, I think the risk balance swings towards passengers being stupid enough to open doors while in motion, rather than the chance of a serious accident.

I don't think it's a common feature in ordinary cars in Europe though, and I haven't noticed the local taxis (which are just ordinary large family cars with meters fitted) doing this. Car-jacking is not considered a big threat in northern or western Europe, which is where manufacturers expect to sell new cars.

[Mytical]

My 2009 locks as soon as it is out of park. Once in park, they will unlock.

[Andara Bledin]

If the electrics are out from a crash, they couldn't use the button to unlock it.

Central locking systems are actually designed to unlock in the event of an accident to avoid that very problem.

My car doesn't automatically lock at any point. I need to figure out how to lock the doors without locking out the ability to open them from the inside, if my car has that function. It seems to be a common feature in central locking systems.

The remote lock mechanism will only unlock the driver's door with the first press and requires a second press within a certain amount of time to unlock the rest of the doors.

^-.-^