At some point in life, almost everyone locks themselves out of their vehicle. I routinely hear people say “I’ve never done this before.” Yet, they find themselves locked out of their vehicle. Manufacturers go to great effort to keep this from happening. Manufacturers display warning lights, make noises, use flashing dashboards and all manner of warnings. The simple fact is that people get in a hurry, frustrated, or just distracted, and block all of those warnings out. People routinely tell me “you aren’t supposed to be able to lock your keys in the car.” The unfortunate truth is that if you can lock yourself in the car for safety, you can somehow manage to lock your keys in the car.
The mechanics of opening a car is a well covered topic with some good, and a great deal of bad information available. What isn’t well covered is how does the locksmith you’ve called verify you own the car? It is my opinion that if a locksmith doesn’t ask for proof of ownership, you as a consumer, should send them packing and call someone else. A licensed locksmith, which is the only person you should be hiring, can quickly lose their license and/or insurance. And, quite honestly, a licensed locksmith owes this much to the community they serve.
There are only two good, relatively accessible, means of proving ownership of a vehicle, a registration, or insurance. These are almost exclusively the only two things that Locks By The Bay will accept. Of course, a title can also be used, but this generally isn’t readily accessible.
Insurance
In the state of Alabama, every car must be insured with at least liability insurance. Every driver must also have a valid drivers license. All insurance carriers issue identification cards. Some insurance companies may not provide printed copies, but they always will provide electronic versions. The identification card provides two essential elements, the VIN number of the vehicle and the insured name. If the person who is requesting a car to be unlocked can provide this identification card, the VIN matches the vehicle, and the name matches the drivers license of the person there to get the car or truck unlocked, then all is well, the owner is verified.
Registration
The other required element in the State of Alabama is that every car must be registered. Every vehicle registration receives a paper receipt such as this one:
This is typically referred to as the “registration” for the car. In Alabama, it is commonly referred to as the “tag receipt” since it’s the receipt that comes with every metal tag issued, and every sticker with the “tag” is renewed.
In the State of Alabama, it is also required that this receipt be kept in the vehicle and you are able to provide it to a law enforcement officer if you are pulled over. This document provides an excellent way of proving who owns the vehicle. If the person who is requesting a car or truck to be unlocked can provide this receipt, the VIN matches the vehicle, and the name matches the drivers license of the person there to get the car unlocked, then all is well, the owner is verified.
At this point it is worthy of noting that while an officer is able to look up this registration information, Locks By The Bay cannot. We have to be provided a printed copy
What Should You Expect?
If you find yourself locked out of your car or truck, first and foremost, don’t panic! Call a licensed locksmith. If whoever shows up doesn’t ask you to provide proof of ownership, don’t encourage them, instead, send them packing and call someone else. Always have in the back of your mind, if they don’t ask for proof of ownership from you, the real owner, do you think they’ll ask someone who is trying to illegally enter your car? Don’t encourage it. Don’t panic. Call a licensed and qualified locksmith. Call Locks By The Bay.