HR2008-04 Oops, I left the car key inside

Catalyst of the study

Left the key inside and locked the car!
I am sure anyone who has been driving for long time has experienced this at least once.
You have done this in an unthinking moment, and you can't blame anybody because it is your fault. You have things to do or go, and you are in trouble...

As a matter of fact, what kinds of misstep or trouble there are with the car key? We have decided to do the research with this as a theme.

Research method

This time, we have emailed the participants who have been registered to our company, and asked for their cooperation to fill out the questionnaire about any misstep or trouble they have experienced which are connected to the car key.

The question is the following, and the participants will answer in description form.

Please describe specifically about your experience concerning 'missteps or troubles that are connected to the car key'. They can be small casual things"

Missteps or troubles that are connected to the car key.

The following chart is what we have rounded up the result from the questionnaire, answered by 47 participants.

The top is "lock oneself out"

The top most answer we get is that the drivers lock themselves out of the car. Take the key, get out and lock the car, is the action most people usually would take unconsciously. Therefore, when think about the background of this misstep, the driver must have taken a different action than their usual.
For example, the following cases are when the driver have taken some notices:

"In the coin parking lot, my mind was toward necessity of having the coin ready." (female 47)
"After shopping, when I've tried to take my groceries in a hurry." (female 57)
"When I've been in rush mood, I have tended to lock by pushing the doorknob, and not use the key."(male 69)

There are self-analysis like above.
Also when the drivers lock themselves out, the locations where they put the key are various.:

"I left the key inside of the trunk with other baggage"(male 41, male 44 and make 64)
"I drop the key inside the car without notice."(female 45)
"I left the key in the lock." (female 44, male 64), "I left the engine running."( male 38, male 59)
"I went for shopping, and left the key on the driver's seat."(female 51)

Because there is a handy function where you can lock without using the key, by lock mechanism and the operation of doorknob outside, a material error such as lock yourself out will generate.

Unexpectedly large number is ?

* The second most of trouble is, "Forget where one has left the key" before get into a car. If the person always keeps the key at the same place will not have such problem, but in reality, we assume many drivers will leave the key in many places. It would be handy if we know where the key is in a such moment.

* There also is an answer such as, "I thought that I locked, but it wasn't". Although some drivers who have made this mistake use old fashioned key, most seem by using the remote control key. Most remote control key will lock the key with "LOCK" button, and unlock by "UNLOCK" button. There actually are key that give difference in forms, colors and locations of these two buttons, but we can also assume the drivers still has pressed the wrong button, or not been able to operate (check) in remote.

* The problem such as, "Key does not turn/ does not come off" has been also occurred. There was a person who did not understand the condition called steering lock that occurs when one turns a steeling wheel with engine turned off (or turns off the engine with a steeling wheel turned), and learned by asking to JAF (Japan Automobile Federation). However, there also are cases when the "key does not turn/does not come off", the problem has solved by the drivers who tries to turn or so few times, but ends up not know what the actual cause of the problem is. There also is a style which, you need to not only press in and turn, but turn the key while pressing the button, but this seems unpopular.

* There also is a case where, "Security gadget has accidentally turned on, which surprises me, or receive funny looks from others" with own car. When operate with spare key instead of master key, the security gadget will turn on under some circumstance, but if operate without knowing well about this, the cause can be because the driver has not inserted the key immediately.

Other than above, there are comments like, "I have dropped the key", "I have broke the key (washed in the washing machine or stepped on it, etc)" or "I wish to bolt, but leave the air-con on (when leave children or dogs in the car).", which show well that users have different problems just with the car key they use daily.

What kind of key will be safe?

The key, which unlock or bolt automatically when user has it with him/her, and alarm ring when driver locks oneself out, has appeared in 2002, and although there has been a case where it has suspended once because of the failure, it seems most of the new cars today have been equipped (left of the above figure).
There are keys incorporated into watches or jewelries (center of the above figure).
Also, an idea product such us remote control tag, which can attach to things users tend to forget where to locate (right of the above figure).

If to only avoid locking yourself out, use the old-style mechanical key, which users can only be able to lock every door (include the trunk) by using the car key from outside of the car, can be good. If there is no useful function, severe error will not generate.

However, it is unrealistic to change only the key of the car you currently use. To make sure you will not lock oneself out, -be sure to take the key with, when one turns off the engine, -use the key when lock, -be sure one has the key when close the trunk. Although even you usually are being careful, locking yourself out can happen when you are in an unthinking moment, so it will be impossible to completely avoid this accident. As something you can certainly do, be sure to have a spare key with you!