Many new cars are now fitted with an automatic locking system that will lock the car doors 30 seconds after you have switched the ignition of the car off.

This is fitted as an anti-theft device designed for people who have forgotten to lock their vehicle once they park up. The basic idea is a good one, a sort of failsafe to protect the vehicle and the goods inside it. However if you’re not used to this feature then it can be pretty annoying, if for example the car keeps locking itself whilst you are unloading your shopping.

But more than just annoying this feature can also be quite dangerous, imagine doing the grocery shopping with young children, you get to the car, put the children in their seat and start to unload the shopping into the boot, on closing the boot you realise that the keys (in your handbag) are in the car and ‘click’ the automatic lock kicks in meaning that you are now locked out!

This could be really dangerous and result in you having to break into your own car, thankfully this auto locking system can be disabled and personally unless you are extremely forgetful, and likely to not lock your car, I’d turn it off.