When it comes to car keys it appears that we are a forgetful and
careless bunch. New research suggests that while millions of
drivers waste hours every year searching for missing keys, those
unfortunate enough to lose them for good have spent an
eye-watering £181m replacing them.
An RAC survey found that one in 20 (5%), or almost two million
drivers, admit they have lost their car keys for good and 6% of
these say they have actually managed to do this twice. When
questioned where they thought they had lost them one in five
(18%) thought it was somewhere outdoors, 9% lost them in the
house, 5% lost them at work and the same number said it happened
when shopping. Another 4% said they vanished when they were out
socialising, 14% said they were stolen, but a quarter (23%)
simply didn’t have a clue what happened to them.
Four in 10 (39%) of those who permanently ‘misplaced’ their car
keys just made do with their spare key, but over half (54%) said
they bought a replacement key at an average cost of £176.20 which
equates to a UK-wide bill of over £180m.
The RAC Opinion Panel survey of 2,068 motorists also revealed
that four in 10 (43%), the equivalent of 16 million drivers,
admit to regularly forgetting where they leave their car keys
with absent-minded drivers spending on average two minutes 10
seconds looking for them every day - adding up to almost 14 hours
a year.
Apparently women are more prone to mislaying their keys with 45%
saying they frequently forget where they last put their keys,
compared with 38% of men who confess to doing the same. However,
when it comes to locking keys in the car men are exposed as the
most careless with 30% admitting to the mistake, compared to 23%
of women who have done it.
Overall a quarter (27%), or 10 million drivers, admit to having
locked their keys in their car. When asked how this happened
three in 10 (29%) said they simply weren’t thinking what they
were doing, 7% were distracted by somebody else or looking after
a child, 5% said it was because they were in a rush, 21% said
they put them down to get something out of the car and 22% said
the car locked itself with the keys inside. Interestingly, this
happens most commonly at home (21%), closely followed by at work
(17%) and at the shops (16%).
To recover the keys and access their car 31% of these drivers
called the RAC or another breakdown provider, 32% used their
spare key, 20% found another way to open the door and 3% called a
locksmith. But for a desperate 3%, or 300,000 drivers, they had
to resort to smashing a window.
If the mere act of losing or mislaying your keys is not enough
strife for individuals, a third (29%) of all couples said their
partner’s forgetfulness or constant turning the house upside down
in the hunt for their keys results in frequent quarrels.
RAC spokesman Pete Williams said: “When it comes to car keys the
evidence suggests that we are a forgetful and careless bunch. It
is therefore no surprise that such a high proportion of us find
ourselves scrabbling around in the bottom of our bags, in the
cutlery drawer or through countless pockets in a frantic search
for our keys. Losing, or temporarily mislaying our car keys is an
endless source of frustration and our forgetfulness can be the
cause of heated arguments with our better halves sick and tired
of the fraught daily hunt.
“And for hundreds of thousands of drivers every year their keys
are never seen again and have to be replaced. With today’s
sophisticated keys, including transponders and remote devices, a
replacement key can cost up for £500 - a not insignificant sum.
That’s why the RAC offers a Key Replace** insurance
option to all of its breakdown customers giving peace of mind for
£24 a year. This covers you for accidental damage to or loss of
your car keys and the cost of locksmith charges, replacement
locks, keys and reprogramming of the electronics and immobiliser
up to £1,500. We are currently offering this service free to new
breakdown members together with free Onward Travel – worth a
minimum of £39.98.
“Locking your keys in your car is perhaps one of the most
frustrating experiences that any of us face resulting in maximum
inconvenience and stress. The RAC dealt with over 57,000 members
with key-related problems including lock-outs and faulty locks in
2017 so it is always good to know where your spare key is so a
friend or family member can find it in a crisis.”
Ends
Note to editors
* Survey carried out with 2,068 members of the RAC Opinion Panel
from April 2018
** Subject to terms and conditions available at https://www.rac.co.uk/breakdown-cover.
Offer available until 9/5/18.
