Locked Out of Your Car in Winter: What to Do While You Wait

First: is anyone or anything inside?

If a child or pet is locked in the vehicle, call 911 first. That comes before anything else.

Get warm, stay safe

• Step inside a nearby store, gas station or a friend's car if you can.
• If you're on the roadside, stay well off the traffic lanes and keep your hazard awareness up — winter traffic can slide.
• Keep your phone warm in an inside pocket. Cold drains phone batteries fast.

If the engine is running

Leave it running if it's safely parked — but check that snow isn't packed around the tailpipe. A blocked exhaust can push carbon monoxide back toward the vehicle.

Don't break a window

A broken window in a Duluth winter is cold, expensive and leaves your car open to the weather. A professional lockout tool can usually get you in without damaging the door, paint, weather stripping or lock.

Have this ready when you call

• Where you are (address, cross streets or mile marker)
• Year, make and model of the vehicle
• Whether the keys are visible inside, and whether the engine is running

With that, we can give you a price up front and an honest arrival time.