Why You Should Never Ignore a Penny Stuck in Your Car Door Handle
Finding a coin wedged near your car door handle might seem like a harmless coincidence. Perhaps someone dropped it, a child placed it there, or it simply became trapped while you were parked.
But if you discover a penny or another small object deliberately positioned around a door handle, it is worth taking a moment to inspect the situation before simply pulling it out and walking away.
Images like the one above have circulated online for years with warnings that criminals can use coins or similar objects as part of an attempt to interfere with a vehicle’s locking system. Some versions of the story claim that a thief places a coin near a particular door handle so the vehicle doesn’t lock properly when the owner activates the central locking system.
The reality is more complicated than the viral warning suggests.
A coin stuck in a door handle is not automatically proof that someone is trying to break into your car. Modern vehicles use many different locking systems, and whether an object can interfere with locking depends entirely on the vehicle’s design.
Nevertheless, an unfamiliar object deliberately placed on your vehicle is something you shouldn’t ignore.
Here’s what you should know.
What Is the Penny Supposed to Do?
The viral story generally involves a small coin being positioned around the exterior door handle.
The idea is that the coin may interfere with the handle or with the mechanism used by a particular vehicle to detect whether the door is closed or locked.
In older versions of the story, the claim was that someone could place a coin in a door handle and then wait for the vehicle owner to walk away.
The owner might press the key fob’s lock button and assume the vehicle was secure.
If the door did not actually lock, the person could potentially return to the unlocked vehicle later.
This is the basic idea behind the warning.
However, there is an important problem with treating this as a universal trick:
Cars are not all designed the same way.
Some vehicles have traditional mechanical locks.
Others use electronic central locking.
Some have keyless-entry systems.
Some have proximity sensors.
Some automatically lock when the driver walks away.
Others require the owner to press a button.
Because of these differences, a coin cannot be expected to interfere with every vehicle’s locking system.
Why the Image Can Be Misleading
The photograph shows a coin positioned near a door handle.
That doesn’t prove that the coin is actually capable of preventing the vehicle from locking.
The exact position of the handle, the lock, the latch, the electronic sensors, and the door mechanism varies considerably between vehicles.
A trick that might theoretically affect one particular vehicle design may have no effect whatsoever on another.
This is one of the reasons viral safety posts can sometimes become exaggerated.
A real possibility can become a universal warning.
The better lesson isn’t:
“Every penny in a door handle means a thief is targeting you.”
The better lesson is:
“If something unusual has been deliberately placed on your vehicle, pay attention and verify that the vehicle is actually locked.”
Your Key Fob Isn’t the Only Thing You Should Trust
One of the most important habits for vehicle security is to physically or visually confirm that your car has locked.
Many drivers press the button on their key fob and immediately walk away.
They hear a beep or see the lights flash and assume everything is fine.
Usually, that’s perfectly reasonable.
But electronic devices can occasionally malfunction.
The key fob battery can become weak.
The vehicle battery can have problems.
A door, trunk, or hood may not be properly closed.
The remote may not communicate correctly with the vehicle.
Environmental interference can occasionally affect electronic systems.
And some vehicles behave differently depending on their locking configuration.
So if something looks unusual around the door, don’t simply assume that the car is secure because you pressed the button.
