Do you lock your car doors while driving?
We have all the gadgets to keep our kids safe in the car ? the car seats, the seatbelts, the child-proof lock on the door, the child-proof windows. But how about locking your car doors from the inside while driving?
A friend who comes from South America makes it a point to lock her car doors while driving. I know that in many parts of Asia (usually in big cities) where I come from, locking car doors from the inside is a must. After all, it only takes a couple of seconds for somebody to open the door and grab your purse from the front seat or empty your trunk – while you are stopping at a red light and standing in a traffic jam. Much worse, anybody can just grab your sleeping child at the back seat before you can even get out from behind the wheel.
I learned driving in Belgium and Germany and we now live in Switzerland. These are three countries I know (there may be others) where locking your car from the inside is not a normal practice. In fact, it is pretty much discouraged because in cases of accidents, nobody can open the door to help you or your child.
Where we live now, I feel comfortable driving with unlocked doors that can be opened from the outside. I don`t really feel any threat to myself or to my kids. I wouldn`t know how I`d feel though if I`m driving in a strange city in dense traffic.
So what`s the common practice in your part of the world?
Can car companies perhaps put in a special feature in future cars – car doors that lock automatically when you stop and unlock when you drive off again? Or does this feature already exist but I`m simply not aware of it?
Brendon Peat says...
Hi there,
In reply to your question about car doors locking themselves, some vehicles do have a system where the doors automatically lock when you reach a certain speed around 20kmh. They normally stay locked until you pull the handle to open the door. Most modern cars also have a system which will automatically unlock the cars doors in an accident (usually when the airbags are triggered I believe). So it is a good idea to check your owners manual to see if your car includes this feature. Also having the doors locked can be an additional safety feature, as it can prevent the doors opening during a crash – they then of course, unlock automatically to allow easy access.