UA News

Officers help with flat tires, jumpstarts and lockouts.

It's Friday afternoon and the clock finally strikes 5 p.m., but as you prepare to hop in the car and drive off into your weekend, you're stopped in your tracks as you realize something's missing. Your keys. The ones you unknowingly locked in the car that morning; the ones now staring up from you tauntingly from the driver's seat.

It's not an uncommon scenario for the 5 or 6 o'clock hour. That's when a lot of the calls for help roll into Parking and Transportation Services' Motorist Assistance Program, which helps campus drivers in automotive distress.

Whether the problem is imprisoned keys, a flat tire in need of a temporary fix or a car requiring a jumpstart, the program's team of 13 enforcement officers and safety specialists are on call to help any driver in need within the PTS patrol boundaries.

Many campus community members don't know about the service, said Joyce Childers, PTS program coordinator and the program's dispatcher, but some who have used it say it's a program they couldn't live without.

"I'm a professor who relies on this service," said Gary Nabhan, a research professor who said he's locked his keys in the car twice in the past nine months. "I called them on short notice in both cases, and they were there in five minutes. They're the best kind of professional."

A speedy response time is just one of the program's benefits. The other: It's totally free, while off-campus companies might charge $50 or $60 to pop a car's lock.

Enforcement officers show up in golf carts or pickups, armed with a tool kit and booklet with instructions for how to open locks on various makes, models and years of vehicles. They also carry a portable battery pack for jumpstarts and cans of Fix-A-Flat tire sealant for minor, temporary flat repairs.

Officers have responded to more than 550 calls since the fiscal year began in July. "It's pretty much 50/50 unlocks and jumpstarts with a sprinkling of tires throughout," Childers said.

As temperatures begin to rise, so do the number of calls for jumpstarts, said Shaun Wolfel, parking safety specialist. The rainy season, when there is one, is also particularly busy, as frenzied desert drivers lock keys in the car while juggling umbrellas or return to a dead battery after forgetting to turn off their headlights.

Some calls are more routine than others. Once, getting into a woman's car was as simple as lowering her small child into the open sunroof to get Mommy's keys, Wolfel said. Then there the was the time he helped a group of teenagers visiting campus unlock their keys from inside the trunk, only to discover they had also accidently locked their friend inside in what was meant to be a harmless prank. Lucky for them, the trunk was open in five minutes.

That's about average, with some unlocks taking as little as 30 seconds with the right tools, Wolfel said.

"People love it. In 10 minutes they're off and able to still make it to work or class on time," he said.

When Leslie Lee, a research specialist, unknowingly dropped her keys on her car floor while unloading her things, it meant she'd also locked herself out of her office. But with help from PTS she said she was back at work in no time.  

"It's nice to know they're there," she said. Lee also commended the officers for checking her registration after unlocking the car.

For security's sake, officers will only provide services to the registered owners of a vehicle, Childers said.

The Motorist Assistance Program is available 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday during the school year. Summer hours, which start this Friday, are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. To get help on campus, call 621-AUTO (2886).