Let’s face it, we all leave things in our car, most of the time because we don’ have the time or that we do not think that it matters.
There are things that we should never leave in our car. Items left in your car could be tempting to thieves, if visible, or could be damaged by the extreme heat or cold that your car can experience and finally, some items could become a safety issue if left in your car. Here’s a list of items you never leave in your car:
If you leave a plastic water bottle in your car when it is hot out, there is a chance that BPA can leak into the water. Studies have linked BPA to such health issues as cancer and heart disease.
On a hot day your car can reach temperatures that could heat up the bottle and cause the leak into the water.
Purse or Handbag
Leaving your purse or even your gym bag where it is visible is just inviting someone to break in to your car.
Forget the money that may be stolen, the time and cost to replace your credit cards and drivers license is not insignificant. Top that off with the amount of information that a thief could get and either use or sell to someone that could use it for identity theft. The cost of this little mistake could be huge.
Glasses
Sunglasses are something most people leave a pair in the car, but they can be quickly rendered useless by the heat on a hot summer day. With some quality pair of shades going into the hundreds of dollars it is not a small cost to replace them.
If you wear prescription glasses the cost can be even higher and could take much longer to get them replaced.
Passport
Your passport can be used as a piece of identification in Canada. That along with the fact that Canadian Passports are one of the most valuable passports in the world, they offer visa-free access to 185 countries, they are a prime target to identity thieves.
Electronics and Batteries
All manufacturers of batteries have recommendations to not leave them in places with high temperatures. Exposing a battery to the high heat in a car on a hot summer day could reduce its capacity or even cause it to leak or rupture. If a leak or rupture occurs then we can all imagine what the battery acid would do to the interior of your car.
Same with electronics, most of us do not go anywhere without our phones, so leaving it in our car is most likely by forgetting it. But think of what a tempting target seeing it or other electronics like a camera, laptop or tablet offer to a thief.
Now take into account the damage that heat could do to it and you are left with an expensive bill to replace what is stolen or damaged.
Spray Cans
Hair spray, spray paint, deodorant or even air freshener in an aerosol can are ticking time bombs if exposed to high heat for any duration.
Look at this video on how a spray can ended up through a car window.
Wine
If you have to pick up some for the evening or holiday do not leave it in your car too long. The heat can cause the liquid to expand and then leak around or push out the cork. Imagine the mess and smell you would have to deal with.
That clean up bill would easily cost you more than the bottle of wine that just got destroyed.
Check our blog post about the top apps you should have for an emergency.
Children
It should not have to be even mentioned, but do not leave your kids in the car. The many things that could happen are all horrible.
Take a look at the news lately where kids have been abducted, died due to heat and even accidentally released the parking brake and caused an accident where the kids died.
Dogs
Unless you have never been on Facebook, you may not see the number of people that leave their dogs in a hot car only to have the dogs die due to the heat.
Many areas have made it illegal to do so and also made it legal to break windows to save the suffering dogs.
Besides all these small precautions that can save you money and protect you, your vehicle and family, make sure you have a reliable auto insurance in case of any disasters or accidents.
At AMC Insurance we shop for the best rate for you. Contact us to get a free quote.
