In short:
- If a child or animal could be in danger from heat, call emergency services first: 10111 for SAPS, or 112 from a cellphone. Don't wait for a locksmith.
- A closed car heats up fast, even on a mild day and even with a window slightly open.
- Stay with the car, keep watching the child or animal, and follow what the call-taker tells you.
- A locksmith is for when nobody is at risk: a calm child, a cool car, and time to wait safely.
- Before opening any car, the technician asks for proof that it's yours.
Decide in seconds: is anyone in danger?
If a child or animal is in a hot car, or you're not sure they're all right, phone emergency services now. Call SAPS on 10111, or 112 from any cellphone. For a medical emergency, the national ambulance number is 10177. A locksmith is not an emergency service, and no locksmith should be your first call when a life may be at risk.
ER24 warns that a vehicle's interior can climb by more than 10°C within minutes, and that a child's body temperature rises faster than an adult's. ER24 also says that cracking a window or parking in the shade doesn't give reliable protection. On a hot afternoon, a car parked in an open lot can become dangerous long before you'd expect.
While you wait for emergency services
- Stay on the line and answer the call-taker's questions: where you are, how long the child or animal has been inside, and how they look.
- Keep talking to the child through the glass if they're awake. A familiar voice helps.
- Get help around you. At a shopping centre, ask security or centre management to page the owner. At home, ask a neighbour to look for the spare key.
- Shade the car if you can, without blocking your view of the child or animal.
- Note the registration, make and colour if the car isn't yours, so responders and security can trace the owner.
- Follow instructions. Getting into the car is the responders' call, made with the call-taker's guidance. This article doesn't cover ways of getting into a vehicle, and you shouldn't need one.
Pets: the signs that mean act now
A parked car is just as dangerous for a dog as for a child. The NSPCA's advice, as reported in the South African press, is that leaving a window slightly open won't keep a car cool enough. It lists warning signs of heatstroke in dogs:
- heavy panting and drooling a lot;
- a fast heartbeat;
- poor coordination or stumbling;
- collapse or loss of consciousness.
If you see any of these, treat it as an emergency and contact SAPS or your local SPCA straight away. Note the car's details, try to find the owner, and stay until it's resolved. A dog that has shown these signs should be seen by a vet, even if it seems to recover.
When a locksmith is the right call
Plenty of "locked in" moments aren't emergencies. A toddler presses the lock button on a cool morning in your own driveway. A dog sits happily on the back seat on an overcast day while you stand next to the car. In cases like these, with the car cool and the child or animal calm and in sight, a car locksmith is a sensible option.
| Situation | First call |
|---|---|
| Hot day, car in the sun, any length of time | 10111, or 112 from a cellphone |
| Child crying hard, sweating, drowsy or not responding | 10111, or 112 from a cellphone |
| Animal panting heavily, drooling or unsteady | 10111, or 112 from a cellphone, and the SPCA |
| You can't see the child or animal properly | 10111, or 112 from a cellphone |
| Cool car, shade, calm child or animal, you're right there | Spare key or keyholder first, then a car locksmith |
Keep watching the whole time. If the sun comes out, the car warms up or the child or animal becomes distressed, stop waiting and call emergency services.
What the technician does, and why ID comes first
Our car locksmith service covers car lockouts. We're open 24/7, and the technician tries non-destructive entry first. The R250 call-out fee. The technician assesses the job on site and gives you the price before any work starts. Nothing is done until you agree.
Before opening any car, the technician asks for proof that it's yours. That might be your ID or driver's licence, with the vehicle's registration papers or licence disc details. It can feel slow when your child is on the other side of the glass, and that's exactly why the emergency route exists for anything urgent. For a calm, non-urgent lockout, it's a short check that protects every car owner.
What to tell us on the phone
- Who or what is in the car, and how they seem right now.
- Whether the car is in shade or sun, and whether the engine is off.
- Make, model and year, and whether it has a remote, a smart key or a turn key.
- Where the keys are: on a seat, in the ignition or in a bag.
- Exactly where you are: the address, the parking row, or the estate gate the technician should use.
If anything changes during the call, tell us, and call emergency services if it has become urgent.
Making it less likely next time
- Never leave a child or animal alone in a car, even for a quick errand.
- Keep the key with you when you lift a child out or let a dog in. Don't put it down on a seat.
- Know where the spare is, and keep it somewhere you can reach without the car.
- Look after the remote. If your key fob has been unreliable, sort it out before it leaves you stuck. See car key fob not working: causes and checks.
For an after-dark lockout of any kind, read locked out late at night: a calm checklist. You'll find all our services on the Centurion mobile locksmith homepage.
Questions
Should I phone a locksmith and emergency services at the same time?
If anyone could be in danger, phone emergency services first and stay on the line. Don't let a locksmith call delay that. Once the child or animal is safe, you can sort out the car.
Is it safe if I leave the air conditioning running?
Don't rely on it. ER24 says that running the air conditioner without the engine on isn't reliable protection. And if the keys are locked inside with the engine running, you can't control what happens next. Treat it as urgent if the child or animal shows any sign of distress.
Do you need my car's papers before opening it?
The technician asks for proof of ownership before opening any car. ID with the registration papers or licence disc details is the usual way. If your documents are locked in the car, tell us on the phone and we'll talk through what else you can show.
Need a locksmith to look at it?
If this hasn't solved the problem, our car keys & lockouts service covers it. We're a mobile locksmith in Centurion, so we come to your door.
Sources and further reading
- Western Cape Government: Know who you can call in an emergency — National numbers: Police Flying Squad 10111, ambulance 10177, and 112 for emergencies from a cellphone (MTN, Vodacom, Cell C and Telkom).
- ER24: Hot car dangers – how to keep children safe this summer — A vehicle's interior can rise by more than 10°C within minutes; a child's body temperature rises faster than an adult's; cracked windows, shade or running the air conditioner without the engine on are not reliable protection; call the police on 10111 if the car isn't yours.
- Independent on Saturday (IOL): NSPCA urges dog owners never to leave a dog alone in a vehicle — NSPCA advice: slightly open windows don't keep a car cool enough; heatstroke signs in dogs; contact the SPCA or SAPS, note the car's details and stay until resolved; see a vet.