Life’s a beach when your car keys are safe at the seaside, says leading provider Start Rescue. Losing car keys at the beach can be a real hassle, especially when replacement keys can cost up to £530. To avoid breakdown call-outs and unnecessary expenses, here are five simple steps to keep your car keys safe at the beach.
Keep Your Keys Dry
As soon as you’ve locked your car, place your keys in a waterproof bag or pocket in a backpack. Many bags feature zipped pockets with hooks that can securely attach your keys. This prevents accidental drops into the sand or sea.
Hide Your Keys
You can hide keys inside clothing with an internal pocket. Many beach clothes now incorporate this feature, but be cautious about going into the water with your keys. Always ensure they stay dry.
Clip Keys Inside a Backpack or Pocket
To avoid losing your keys, clip them inside a backpack or a pocket. Zipped pockets with key hooks are ideal for this purpose, keeping your keys secure and easily accessible.
Add a Security Tracker Tag
Fitting a security tracker tag to your keys will allow you to locate their approximate position even if they become buried under sand. These tags are inexpensive and easy to fit, providing peace of mind.
Use a Faraday Pouch
If your car is parked close to where you are on the beach, use a “Faraday” pouch. This pouch blocks the key fob’s signal, preventing keyless theft by criminals who intercept the signal.
A Word from Start Rescue
“We’ve recently had claims for keys lost on beaches in the sand, keys falling out of pockets into the sea when boarding boats, and even keys dropping down a drain,” says Lee Puffett, Managing Director of Start Rescue. “It pays to keep keys safe when a replacement key costs an average of £372, rising to as much as £530 for some makes and models.”
Lee Puffett adds, “We see lots of unpredictable lost key issues, so it saves customers a great deal of time and money to check their keys are secure immediately after they lock their cars. These five easy steps make a big difference to avoid losing keys and to prevent crime. Even though our policies include cover for lost or broken keys, and keys locked inside the car (excluding costs for a replacement key), it’s much better to keep them safe in the first place.”
Start Rescue: Your Reliable Breakdown Cover Provider
Start Rescue has a 4.5-star rating on Trustpilot, a five-star Defaqto* rating, and has achieved Which? Recommended Provider status for five years running. In the Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards 2024, Start Rescue was awarded best Breakdown Cover provider, scoring 4.9 out of 5 for overall satisfaction with a 94% recommendation rate.
In the What Car? Survey of Best Breakdown Cover, Start Rescue came top for best response time, reaching 77% of call-outs in 30 minutes to an hour and ensuring no one was left waiting for more than two hours. They also excelled in performing temporary repairs, allowing people to continue their journeys.
Launched in 2009, Start Rescue is part of the nation’s fourth-largest breakdown and recovery service, Call Assist, which now has over two million UK customers.
