Pop-A-Lock’s Free Emergency Car Unlocking Service

PAL Saves Kids is a free service from Pop-A-Lock. Our ultimate goal is to decrease the number of children injured or killed in hot vehicles through education and awareness. We know that life happens and that even a slight change in one’s daily routine can result in forgetfulness. We want to be there for you if that happens.

Our professional technicians are available 24/7 to rescue children locked in vehicles, and with Pal Saves Kids, we aim to educate instead of judge.

A parent’s goal is to keep their children safe at all costs, but accidents happen, that’s just life. According to the National Safety Council’s Injury Facts page on hot car deaths, an average of 38 children die in hot cars each year, and nine have died in hot cars already in 2019. Of the total number of children that have died in hot vehicles since 1998, it is estimated that over half were forgotten by a parent or caregiver in the vehicle.

Though we may assume that heatstroke deaths are only possible in the sweltering temperatures in the southern and western states, heatstroke in vehicles can happen anywhere. The National Safety Council reports that hot car deaths are a danger in every state, in every month, not just the summer months. Research has shown that vehicles can heat up much quicker than you might think, even when the outside temperature is what we would consider comfortable. At an outside temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit, for example, the temperature inside a vehicle can increase to 117 degrees Fahrenheit within an hour.

When the temperature inside a vehicle can increase this rapidly, children left in hot cars do not have much time before they overheat. We never think this will happen to us, but we are only human and we’ll inevitably make mistakes sometimes. The last thing a mistake should cost is a child’s life, so it is important to be aware of these statistics and what your options are to avoid this scary situation.

Here are a few tips to avoid leaving your child locked your vehicle:

• Keep your focus on driving and avoid distractions (talking on the phone, eating or drinking, daydreaming, etc.) that can cause you to forget what you were doing.
• Open your child’s door as soon as you arrive at your destination
• Put an important item (such as your phone, purse, briefcase, backpack, etc.) under your child’s seat so you will remember to retrieve it
• Have your daycare call your office if your child doesn’t arrive
• Write down schedule changes in a planner so that they’re fresh in your mind.

Accidents happen all the time, even when you take every possible precaution. Fortunately, Pop-A-Lock’s PAL Saves Kids Program exists to help you if you ever encounter an emergency lock-in situation.

Visit Pop-A-Lock’s PAL Saves Kids  page for more tips and for more information on what to do if your child is accidentally locked in the car. We’ll be here to help you and make sure your little ones are safe and secure, no matter where you are!