@Laura I think this discussion is getting off track, I suggest we move it to https://unwedchastity.org/d/717-emergency-key

That said, here is my breakdown of all the pros and cons I can think of.
Pro:
Reduces the chance of injury as a result of the belt (admittedly a low probability event but the consequences are potentially quite high)
It makes it less likely the belt will be damaged or destroyed if it needs to be removed in an emergency. (if emergency services need to cut it off, you will be out the money spent on it. Not as important as your safety but worth considering.)
If you need to persuade someone that you are wearing voluntarily, it will be a strong argument to say "I have a key for emergencies so I could get out if I wanted to".
In the worst-case scenario where you need to escape your keyholder, an emergency key makes that much easier. Also, a keyholder who knows about the emergency key might be less likely to overstep than they would otherwise be.

Con:
It will take willpower to not use the emergency key when you shouldn't.
The tamper-proof container is another potential point of failure of the system since security is never perfect and you might find a way to access its contents covertly.
If your motivation for wearing is about feeling secure, having an emergency key might interfere with that.

Overall, I think the balance strongly favors having it rather than not but I can see a scenario where the cons would outweigh the pros.

    pestulens
    Injury is not the only emergency around. A belt is not the only thing that needs an emergency key. There are a lot of situations that cannot even be imagined.

        Milord True, outside context problems are an inevitability but since they are by definition impossible to foresee or prepare for it usually isn't worth trying to account for them in a cost/benefit analysis.

            pestulens

            Ok, if keyholder will not allow emergency key, why they will allow it for tight bands?
            Or for bra?
            Anymore, security is a mindset. For someone that consider control more important than security, as for Laura's parents, what can happens? Maybe nothing. But what if....

                Milord Anymore, security is a mindset. For someone that consider control more important than security

                I would consider such a person unsuitable to act as a keyholder. I know there are several examples on this board of wearers who are/were in precisely that situation and I think most of the community agreed that their keyholders were crossing the line.

                Milord as for Laura's parents, what can happens? Maybe nothing. But what if....

                Certainly, there are risks with their approach. Ultimately, Laura is an adult and can decide for herself if the risks outweigh the benefits in her case. I have already done my analysis and concluded that they don't in general but there is a lot about her situation that I don't know. She might see benefits that we missed, she might have other protections in place to help mitigate the risks so they are less significant, and/or she might simply assign different weight to the factors involved than we do.

                @Laura I know you are typically quite reserved about this kind of discussion, but I think we would all like to hear your thoughts.

                      pestulens apologise to @Laura if she felt offended, but honestly there are situations I'm unable to consider healthy. But I will hear and reconsider, as I already done for Ines

                          Bryan What do you see as the "cons" for an emergency key

                          Too free an interpretation of "emergency"

                          Milord Safety should be a primary concern of everyone, ESPECIALLY of parents.

                          As @Tjc said the belt can broken easily

                          pestulens It will take willpower to not use the emergency key when you shouldn't.

                          Right

                          pestulens If your motivation for wearing is about feeling secure, having an emergency key might interfere with that.

                          An cope with a situation too

                          Milord but honestly there are situations I'm unable to consider healthy.

                          Why? If all sides agree

                                      Laura As @Tjc said the belt can broken easily

                                      I have made an example of a situation. Nothing too exotic. If you have an emorragy and noone is here to help you could open OR wait for emergency medical services to come losing precious time (for arrival) and other time (for removing).

                                      Now can you explain what is you or your parents issue in having a sealed key? You want to stay in, so the problem is?

                                          Laura Why? If all sides agree

                                          Do you really believe that it is sufficient that all agree to make something healthy? a lot of people stay voluntarily in abusive relationship. It's healthy? Consent is always necessary, but it's not always sufficient.
                                          If my wife agrees to be beaten so much that I send her to the hospital, you will consider this healthy because she agreed?

                                          • Joh likes this.

                                            Milord Now can you explain what is you or your parents issue in having a sealed key?

                                            It will be opened right a way and "emergency" will be invented later 😂

                                            Milord You want to stay in, so the problem is?

                                            It wasn't always like it's now

                                            • Tjc likes this.

                                                Milord 1) call your keyholder to urgently get there and open you
                                                2) call emergency medical services and wait for them to open you
                                                3) use hacksaw or other tools
                                                4) use emergency key

                                                5) go to the emergency room or hospital where you will need to be treated for whatever is causing the unbearable pain, have them remove the belt, and treat what is causing the pain.

                                                    Tjc this is immensely less efficient than emergency key.

                                                    Anyway, I think I made my point very clear. Emergency key should be mandatory for any belting scenario. Then, everyone is free to take their risk. In the end life is a matter of choice.

                                                      VivianChaste Sorry for taking over your thread like that. It was an important discussion but probably not something you need to worry about at the moment.

                                                        VivianChaste

                                                        Let's put it this way. Any scenario or configuration you want to use, please have an emergency key.

                                                          VivianChaste
                                                          You can start with a time locked key safe. Start with short time, an hour for example, and go from there and see how that goes. Maybe one day you will find a kh you can trust.

                                                          An other option could be a number locked key safe and use chaster.app (free to use) to keep the number of your safe hidden until release. And yes it is easy to cheat if you make a note of the number but that's up to you.
                                                          If you would start using chaster always make sure to choose a lock with a defined maximum duration. Maximum time can be minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, and indefinite. Always read carefully what a chaster lock does. You can create a lock of your own and configure it the way you like. But NEVER forget to set the maximum time or you may get far more than you bargained for. It also is possible to invite a kh to control your lock. If you have set a maximum time the kh cannot keep you locked longer than that unless you choose to set the option to trust the kh. The good thing is the kh can set you free immediately so you have some safety there. You can get to know each other in a safe and controlled way while the kh can be anywhere. But remember to always set a maximum time limit for your safety. And make sure you always have some backup if anything goes wrong.

                                                          You have a lot of information now. Enjoy whatever you choose to do.

                                                            Laura This destroys the whole idea

                                                            Milord But may I gently ask you and @Tjc to avoid endorsing an unsafe behavior?

                                                            so, having an emergency key is always the better alternative, but the system will only work if the key holder notices when the key is being used. @Sara2001 had a good system for this with sealed envelopes, the keys were always accessible but never without the knowledge of the key holder. however, an emergency key only helps if it is quickly accessible in an emergency. in my case, the emergency key (in the safe in the living room) would have been of no use when I was out and about

                                                            VivianChaste Well uh thats unexpected. Im still unsure as i dont even have a keyholder yet to worry about keys...

                                                            sorry if the discussion is drifting a bit, but maybe you can take something with you in case you find a key holder 😉

                                                                    Angelina but the system will only work if the key holder notices when the key is being used.

                                                                    You can always find a good reason why the emergency key was used

                                                                        Laura You can always find a good reason why the emergency key was used

                                                                        It seems to me if your powers of persuasion were that strong you would have gotten rid of your belt years ago. 🤣

                                                                        More seriously, what constitutes a good enough reason is obviously subjective and will be a judgment call in the moment. However, the implementation will obviously require a conversation between the wearer and the keyholder where they come to an understanding about what kind of situation the key is for and what the consequences will be if it is misused.

                                                                            Got a feeling Laura would make a most excellent keyholder haha.