A family vehicle can be either a safe haven or a dangerous machine for young children. Due to their natural curiosity, children may tend to tinker with whatever their little hands reach. One instance that may happen is them accidentally opening the car door from the inside. What may happen next can be one of the parents’ worst nightmares.
The above scenario may have been avoided if the car is set to “Child Lock.” This mechanism will only lock the rear doors, and won’t be opened from the inside but only from the outside. Hence, child locks are one of the most reliable safety features of a car.
Vehicle manufacturers have different ways to set their child locks. For example, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat, Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Volkswagen vehicles require using your car keys -- the same one you use in car ignition -- to activate the locks. You will notice either a child or a padlock icon along the edge of the rear door. Next to those icons, there is also a slot where you can insert the car keys, and then turn the key toward the inside of the car.
Meanwhile, Toyota, Ford, Lincoln and other car manufacturers won’t require a key to activate the child locks. Rather, you will find a little switch that you can slide down or across to set the child lock. On the other hand, some more recent vehicle models have an electronic switch on the inside of the cabin.
For more information about your car’s child lock features, you can check your owner’s manual or your local dealership.
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