The A-31 from Madrid to Alicante runs right through Novelda’s land, and for many drivers it is the last long stretch before the coast. People pull off to stretch their legs, buy water or visit one of the stone showrooms. And now and then, a door is shut with the keys on the seat.
Checks to make at the roadside first
- Try every door and the boot. Some cars only lock the door that was closed last, or leave the boot on a separate button.
- Is another set of keys at home, or with someone who can reach you? If the trip is short, that may be quicker.
- Is anything urgent inside? A child, a pet or medication changes everything. In the heat, a child or an animal in a closed car is an emergency: ring 112 straight away.
If it is a hire car
Look at the rental agreement, or the paperwork you were given at the desk. Some rental companies include roadside help and want you to ring them first; others leave it to you. If they will be hours, having the car opened is often simpler, and you keep the receipt to show them.
Three things the phone call needs
- Where you are. The name of the business, the road, or a location pin on WhatsApp if you are not sure.
- The car. Make, model and roughly the year.
- Where the keys are, if you can see them.
You hear how long the drive will be before anyone sets off, and the price is agreed before the door is touched. Once it is open you will be asked to show the car is yours: the papers are usually in the glovebox.
What will not happen
The car is opened, and that is all. If the key is lost or broken rather than locked inside, that is a job for the car maker’s dealer or a car key specialist, not for a locksmith who opens doors.
Related
If you are staying at a country house nearby and it is the gate that has you stuck, see the note on gates at the end of a partida track. Shop owners along the way may find the note on where the day’s takings spend the night useful. And for the car itself, see car lockout in Novelda.