When I use the electronic key fob to lock or unlock my car, no other car parked nearby has its locks activated. This is as it should be, but how does the system work?
• One evening, I went to the market after dark and purchased groceries. Upon leaving, I went into the parking lot and, seeing my blue car, pressed the fob, got in and drove off. But when I looked over at the passenger’s seat, I saw items that weren’t mine and realised I wasn’t in my car, but somebody else’s.
I quickly returned to the parking lot, but the only space available was in the area reserved for people with disabilities. I parked the car there, found mine and drove off. I have often wondered what the other driver thought when he or she eventually found their car.
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What are the odds of us having identical cars with the same fob code?
Michael Eschenbach, Sebastopol, California, US
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