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06th Aug 2019

460 children rescued from locked cars by AA Ireland last year

It can happen more easily than you might think.

Anna O'Rourke

AA Ireland came to the rescue of 460 kids who has accidentally been locked in a car in 2018.

The insurance provider was also called upon to free quite a few pet dogs from locked cars last year; 359, according to its latest figures.

It even rescued a lamb from a car, the statistics reveal.

There were five incidents where people had to be let out of a vehicle after their partner accidentally locked them in, meanwhile.

Though the thought of a inadvertently trapping your little one in the car is a scary one, it can happen quite easily.

What often happens is that a parent gives their child the keys to eep them busy while they fill up the boot pr get ready to go, said Conor Faughnan, AA’s director of consumer affairs.

“The parent then closes the boot, the child presses a button on the fob and panic ensues,” he told the Irish Independent.

“The good news is that we’re used to dealing with incidents like these and will always give priority to a case where a child or animal is locked in a car.

“While people locking their spouse into the car doesn’t happen that often, it is something our patrols still see. It is embarrassing for anyone, but it has a funny side, unless it causes rows after we leave.”

Oh we’ve no doubt that this will have caused a row or two.