Many years ago something similar happened to me, going back to work after being out at lunchtime, sitting at traffic lights, a man ran up, banged his hand on the bonnet - came round to passenger seat & jumped into the car.

He actually did know me & worked in the hospital albeit in a diffetent dept. Nearly gave me heart failure that day

Yes, most of the time I do, especially when the dogs are in the car. (Central locking for all doors from the the driver's side door). I don't always remember in the mornings when I'm going to work or leaving work though, but I do try.

I put the childlocks on in the back for the dogs as well and also lock the windows when driving (full electric set, all windows lock from he drivers side, apart from the driver's side window, I think). This is just in case the dogs press the window button and put them down (they travel in the back of the car, not the boot).

Never ... I would hate to think that were we to have an accident we might not be able to get out. Worse still, if we were killed would the emergency services 1) know that we had dogs in the back or 2) get them out should the vehicle be in flames.

All very dramatic and unlikely I know, but I hate the thought of being "locked in" ... and hate even more the thought of my dogs being locked in.

Depends where I am driving in Birmingham yes. Had too many problems at traffic lights not to. Out in the country no. Since my tail gate flew open on the car I was then driving going up the M6 one day, my dogs have always been in cages, though if I take three one has to be on the back seat with a harness & seat belt so they are not a lot of protection. What I do have are escape hatches on their cage so in the event of a tail end shunt I can drop the back of the back seats down & get them out that way,

We were driving up to see my parents yesterday with the dogs in the back of the Audi. I asked OH if the tailgate could ever fly open, and he said no never. A warning light comes on on the dashboard if any door, including the tailgate, is not shut properly, and in any case even if it were not shut properly, there is a catch to prevent it flying upwards. My Nissan Micra is the same, but I guess there are some cars that if you were not to shut the tailgate properly it could fly open, but it is extremely unlikely because the down draft of air would prevent it from doing so. However, I guess a dog could stick his nose under the tailgate, and force it to fly up and then fall out. Doesn't bear thinking about, but I still would not want to lock my dogs in.

We have a sign we put in the back window and the side window explaining we have dogs in the car and a brief summary of who it is safe to touch and medical needs too.

Yes, modern cars, or 10 years or older will have the warning light of anything you've left open on the dash, but when mine flew open I was in an old astra estate, no warning, and if you just "drop" the back without actually slamming it, then there's just nothing to keep it in place, and you only need one speed hump to make it fly open (I talk from experience here! ).

Since I'm using my tailgate again coz of Georgie's ramp rather than the back doors, I'm making doubly sure it's slammed shut coz my current astra estate still hasn't got any of those warning lights (coz it's cheap!)

I mentioned the same concern about emergency personnel not being able to get in if I had an accident and I was locked in, when I was at work (I worked in a police station for some years) and the answer was don't worry, they WOULD effect entry. Since then I don't worry and lock the doors.

Precisely, I am surprised that anyone bar those who have never watched TV or a film would think otherwise!

I just saw this thread and wanted to add to it - last week i was driving home from a walk - it was very warm and the dogs (all 5) were lying down in the back of my car - the car was only just bought 4w ago and is 10m old. I was driving at about 45mph when suddenly the boot flew open - no warning lights - nothing - the boot had been properly closed but it transpires that a 'glitch' in my central locking system had caused it to do this - i felt the rush of air and yelled STAY - thank god, someone was smiling down on us and they all did, i was on a country road to pulled in straight away - two of them did stand up as i pulled up but thankfully stayed in the car - had they been excited on the way to the walk when this happened It scared the living hell out of me and even now with the car fixed, i lock the doors when driving.

It happened to us years ago driving down the A9 in a Montego (?) estate - central locking was pretty new at that time and there was a fault - again - thankfully the dogs in the car stayed put - but VERY scary.