It's disheartening to find yourself standing outside your vehicle with the doors locked and your keys inside — especially if the keys are in plain sight, seemingly mocking you. While this scenario can quickly be fixed by calling a local automotive service and having a technician visit you to open your door, it serves as a reminder that you likely don't want to go through this ordeal again. While you can't completely eliminate the likelihood that you'll lock your keys inside your vehicle at some point in the future, you can take steps to dramatically reduce the chance that this event will happen again. Here are some habits to adopt.

Lock With Your Remote, Not With The Door Button

Whether you're trying to extend the life of your remote's battery or you've never broken the habit of reaching for the "Lock" button on the door when you climb out of your vehicle, you might find yourself always locking the vehicle with the door button instead of the remote. The risk of doing so is that your keys can be in the vehicle when you press the button — and you'll soon find yourself calling an automotive service. If you pledge to exclusively use the remote to lock your vehicle after you've climbed out, you'll know that your keys are safely in your hand and there's no risk of being locked out.

Keep The Keys In The Ignition Or In Your Hand

When you pull the keys out of the ignition after reaching your destination, make a point of never setting them down. You can run into trouble when you momentarily set them on your console — perhaps to grab something off the front seat before you climb out. When your keys aren't in your hand, it's too easy to lock the vehicle with the button on the door before you realize that you left the keys behind. As you pull the keys from the ignition, slip your index finger through the key ring; you'll then be able to go about any business you need without setting the keys down.

Ask Family Members To Leave The Locks Alone

It's easy enough for a child or spouse to press the lock button while he or she climbs out, without considering whether you have your keys safely outside the vehicle. Ask your family members to commit to leaving the vehicle's locks alone—only the driver should lock or unlock the doors. In doing so, you'll know that you're solely responsible for the locking process and can always take an extra moment to ensure that your keys are safely in your hand outside the vehicle before you lock it.

If you do find yourself locked out of your car, call a company like Jim's Garage Inc for help and keep these tips in mind for next time!