If you have never locked your keys inside your car, consider yourself lucky! It is an unfortunate event that has happened to almost everyone at some point, and it is definitely a frustrating situation to encounter and deal with. Rather than chucking a brick through your window, here are five things you can do to retrieve your keys if you have locked them inside your car:

  1. If you can get into the trunk of your car, you may be able to push the rear seat forward and access the passenger compartment.

  2. Call a locksmith and have them get you into your car without causing any damage to your vehicle in any way. This might be the more expensive option, but it’s also the quickest, safest, and easiest.

  3. Use a wire clothes hanger to try to disengage the locks. If the door locks can be reached with a hanger, you may be able to pull the button, push the master lock switch, or even hook the hanger around the interior door handle and pull the handle to open the door from the inside.

  4. If your windows are fully closed and a clothes hanger won’t work, you can use an inflatable bladder, which often comes in a professional tool set for locksmiths. You will want to inflate it just enough to create a gap between the window and the door frame to allow a hanger to fit through. Be careful doing this, however, so you won’t shatter your window in the process.

  5. Keep a spare key at home, with a friend or family member, or hidden in a magnetic container attached to your vehicle’s exterior. This option is obviously one to use as a preventive measure and not after you’ve already locked your keys inside your car.