72 • autolocksmiths
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The Evolution
of Automotive
Lockouts
In the second of his articles for The
Locksmith journal, Steve Reisner,
an expert American locksmith with
more than 30 years’ experience
in the industry, and owner of
Adam’s Locksmiths in South
Florida, looks at the interesting
evolution of automotive lockouts.
»»Peering into a perfectly
working vehicle, that just moments ago
you had envisioned getting into and
driving off to your destination with,
but are now unable to gain access to
is an extremely frustrating situation.
Unfortunately, whether you locked
yourself out, misplaced your car keys,
they have been stolen, or there may be a
malfunction within your vehicle’s central
locking system, being locked out of the
car is a not uncommon occurrence for
many drivers. Often, when a situation like
this arises there is no other option but to
contact a professional for help, and that’s
where someone like myself steps in.
Our car keys seem to have this talent
of getting lost in jacket pockets, in
between sofa seats and under beds, or
just disappearing entirely into the black
hole! Prior to the 1990s, however, losing or
misplacing your car keys was not a huge
deal. Replacing your key was a simple
as picking up a spare key at your local
hardware store, locksmith shop and of
course through your car dealership. But
owing to the easiness of copying a key,
it also made your car more accessible to
thieves. With this, there has been a major
change within the auto locksmith field
from around 1994 as insurance companies
began insisting that car manufacturers
make it harder f ܈