Getting locked out of your car in a dark parking lot -- or even in the middle of the day in a safe place -- is probably not on your to-do list! However, people lock themselves out of cars every day, so it's something you need to be proactive about. Here are three tips that will help decrease your chances of a lockout, or at least ensure that if you do get locked out, the situation is not as bad as it could be.

Secure a key under your car.

There are magnetic cases that you can place a key inside, and then stick the case to the underside of your car. Look for one of these cases, and have a spare key made to put inside. Make sure you do not tell anyone where on your car the case is located, and make sure you cannot actually see the case without poking your head under the car. You would not want someone to see the case and then use the key to open your car and steal it!

Put your keys on an obvious lanyard.

If your keys are just on a simple ring, it's so much easier to forget them in your car. If they are on a brightly colored lanyard, you're more likely to notice the lanyard before you close the car door. Get into the habit of always getting out of the car, checking for the lanyard, and then shutting the door -- in that order. If you make this a routine, you're less likely to deviate from it and lock the keys inside.

Put a locksmith's number in your phone.

You may figure that if you ever do get locked out, you can just look up a locksmith's number on your smartphone and give them a call. But what if you happen to not have any data left -- or are in a place with a weak connection -- when you get locked out? Take the time to put a locksmith's number in your phone right now. This way, even if your phone does not have service, you can walk to a nearby shop and manually punch the number into their phone to call a locksmith in their area. 

Getting locked out is never fun. Hopefully, by being proactive, you can prevent this situation. Check with your car insurance company to make sure that if you do get locked out and have to call a locksmith, they can reimburse you