I was watching the news tonight and they announced that my county govt. has just formed a Y2k preparedness task force. It wants all the local businesses and govt. agencies to get started on their Y2k remediation right away. (I won't go into the scary ramifications of that statement - it pretty much speaks for itself) Then they gave the usual "3 days worth of food, plenty of water" advice that we have all come to love to hate. They also listed batteries, flashlights, firewood, copies of all your important documents and an extra set of car keys.

Did they say an extra set of car keys? Of all the inane Y2k advice I've heard that has to be the most pointless. I have wracked my little brain cells for any reason at all why I might want an extra set of car keys.

If it is a "3 day winter storm" then I can live with the normal number of car keys. If it is more than that gas prices will go up so high that I won't be able to drive anywhere anyway (I already pay $1.85 for regular). If there is gas to be had.

Comments anyone? Can anyone think of a reason why I need to get another set of keys made just for Y2k?

-- R (riversoma@aol.com), August 25, 1999

Answers

"I have wracked my little brain cells for any reason at all why I might want an extra set of car keys. "

In my small town, the police will come pop your lock for you if you lock your keys in your car. If they are tied up with otherthings you might be standing outside for awhile.

Just my experiance though

-- b (b@b.b), August 25, 1999.

Aloha R -- $1.85 for regular? Really? Are you out here in the middle of the Pacific ocean too? I thought we were the only ones with these kind of prices -- and pretty mad about it too!

-- grngrl (jhandt@gte.net), August 25, 1999.

Maybe a set that glows in the DARK? LOL

-- FLAME AWAY (BLehman202@aol.com), August 25, 1999.

I know why we keep a complete set of extra keys for every vehicle and lock on the place. My husband has lost his set twice on construction sites (no hope of finding them after being run over by his dozer a few times). Other reasons might be if one breaks (and car keys have a bad habit of doing that if the lock is sticky) or you need to give someone a set of keys to temporarily use your vehicle. I think it is good advise. I know of a lot of couples where he has the keys to his vehicle and she has the keys to hers and there are no spares.

-- Beckie (sunshine_horses@yahoo.com), August 25, 1999.

Beckie: Do you like to mudwrestle?

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.com), August 25, 1999.

I really don't see extra car keys as being related to Y2K, but I am using Y2K as an excuse to get my various affairs in order. It has been a great procrastination-buster. On the other hand, an extra set of keys for a *locking* gas cap might be appropriate.

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), August 25, 1999.

I got it!

No power, no hardware store power (and the store is shut down anyway), and so nobody can make you a new set of keys......

No power/no remote credit cards/no satellites = , no gas pumps; therefore everybody runs out of gas in four days and the tow truck drivers (where did they get the gas?) need a spare set of keys when they tow your car from the middle of the road.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), August 25, 1999.

I suspect that in a serious crisis -- stalled cars blocking passage of emergency military vehicles -- it won't be tow trucks but Humvees or 6x6's shoving the obstructions off to the side. Keys are not required for this procedure.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), August 25, 1999.

If it takes anyone else as long to find their keys as it sometimes does me, an extra set in the bugout bag might save a day or two in bugging out! 8^)

Gypsy

-- Gypsy (SilvrGypsi@aol.com), August 25, 1999.

At first I thought it sounded pretty inane, too, R. But then I started reading the other posts where people were joking about how long it took to find their car keys, and I started to think about it.

What if something goes drastically wrong at a local chem plant or a nuke generating facility, and the order comes down for everyone to get the hell out of Dodge, in a hurry? I don't want to be running around a possibly dark house screaming, "WHERE THE HELL ARE THE CAR KEYS!!!??".

I'm one of those whackos who always thought that things like extra car keys and WORKING flashlights are a good idea, so I don't have to worry about this one, but there's a lot of people out there, who never bothered with that sort of thing before....

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), August 25, 1999.

Bokonon,

I guess it never occurred to me that not all people have an extra set of car keys. What kind of fool wouldn't always have a spare set?

I agree. Flashlights, batteries, extra keys, a lighter/matches, candles, a good knife, water and some crackers will see you through most anything. Of course chocolate always helps.

-- R (riversoma@aol.com), August 26, 1999.