Your car can feel like the easiest place to leave something while you’re out running errands. But a parked car can get extremely hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter, and anything visible through the windows can also catch a thief’s eye.
A few simple habits can save you from having to replace damaged belongings, throw away spoiled food, or deal with a broken window. Before you walk away from your vehicle, check for these 10 things.
Electronics
Laptops, tablets, phones, cameras, and other electronics are tempting targets for thieves. Heat can also damage batteries, screens, and internal parts, so taking them with you is a much safer bet.
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Important Documents
Your car isn’t a good place to store paperwork containing personal information. Passports, bank statements, tax records, and other sensitive documents could cause serious problems if someone breaks into the vehicle.
Groceries
A quick stop somewhere else after grocery shopping can leave your food sitting in a hot car longer than you planned. Meat, dairy, eggs, seafood, and other refrigerated foods can become unsafe if they stay warm for too long.
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Bottled Water
Leaving bottled water in a hot car for long periods isn’t a great habit. If you keep water in your vehicle, replace it regularly or use a reusable, insulated bottle that handles temperature changes better.
Alcoholic Beverages
Beer, wine, and other alcoholic drinks can be affected by high temperatures and repeated temperature changes. Bottles and cans can also leak or break, and leaving alcohol in a vehicle may create legal concerns in some areas.
Spare Change
Loose coins sitting in plain sight can make your car look like an easy target. A thief who spots money may decide it’s worth breaking a window, so keep spare change tucked away or take it with you.
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Personal Care Products
Makeup, sunscreen, lotion, lip balm, and similar products can melt, leak, or separate after sitting in a hot vehicle. You could end up with ruined products and a sticky mess on your seats or console.
Snacks
Food left in your car can turn into a mess faster than you might expect. Chocolate can melt, chips can go stale, and forgotten snacks may attract ants, mice, and other pests.
Important Medications
Many medications need to be kept within a specific temperature range to remain safe and effective. A hot or freezing car can damage some medications, so keep your daily medications with you rather than leaving them in the car.
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Pets
A parked car can become dangerously hot in a very short time, even when the outdoor temperature doesn’t seem extreme. Opening the windows a little does not make the vehicle safe, so pets should never be left alone inside a parked car.
