Car Lockout Help in Muskoka

Lockouts cluster around places where people are carrying something in both hands. Boat launches and marina lots on Lake Muskoka, Lake Rosseau and Lake of Bays lead the list, followed by trailheads, beaches, grocery lots in Bracebridge and Huntsville, and cottage driveways where the spare key is inside the cottage rather than in a pocket.

Keyless vehicles create their own version: the fob is in a bag in the trunk, the doors lock behind you, and the car is perfectly happy to stay that way.

• Walk every door and the hatch or tailgate; one is often unlocked.
• Check whether your vehicle's phone app can unlock it remotely.
• Is there a spare key at the cottage, at home or with whoever you're travelling with?
• Some vehicles have a physical key hidden inside the fob and a lock cylinder behind a cap on the driver's door.

If none of that works, call rather than trying to force a window or a door seal — improvised entry is how glass, weatherstripping and door electronics get damaged.

Your exact location, the year, make and model, whether it's keyless, whether the key is visible inside or in the trunk, and whether the vehicle is running. A vehicle locked with the engine idling is treated with more urgency. If the vehicle also won't start once it's open, the conversation moves to a battery boost or a tow.

Do I have to prove the vehicle is mine?

Expect to be asked. Ownership, insurance, a licence matching the vehicle or a plausible account of the situation are all reasonable things for an operator to check before opening a locked car.

Can every vehicle be opened?

No. Some newer vehicles, and some with deadlocks or particular door designs, can't be opened by roadside methods without risk of damage. In those cases the realistic options are a spare key brought to you, a locksmith or a dealer.

A child or pet is locked inside — what should I do?

Call 911 first. That is an emergency and emergency services will treat it as one.

The key is locked in the trunk — does that change things?

Sometimes, especially on vehicles with no fold-down seats or no interior trunk release. Say so when you call so the operator knows what they're walking up to.

• All Muskoka roadside assistance

  The full list of non-tow callouts.

• Battery boost

  Dead battery after a car sat idle.

• Flat tire assistance

  Spare fitted or a tow to a tire shop.

• Muskoka Lakes towing

  Bala, Windermere and the lake roads.