15 things you shouldn’t leave in the car

It can become very easy to let your car become a storage space. It’s accessible, only you can get into it (legally, anyway), and there’s plenty of space. And while it’s perfectly okay to keep some things there, and there are even many things you should store in your car, there are plenty of other items that really shouldn’t be there for a prolonged amount of time. And, of course, there are even some other things (ahem, living things) that you shouldn’t leave in your car even when you’re just leaving it for a short stretch of time. Here are the top 15 things you shouldn’t leave in your vehicle.

Even if you don’t expect an errand to take more than a few minutes, leaving children alone in the car on a hot day puts their safety at risk. Every year, children die from heatstroke in hot cars. Even if the window is cracked, the temperature inside the car can quickly spike almost within ten minutes, according to the CDC. Check your local laws – in some jurisdictions, it’s illegal to leave young children alone, even if it isn’t sweltering outside.

Dogs and cats are also at risk in hot summertime temps. Hundreds of pets die every year from overheating in vehicles. After just one hour, car temperatures can reach 7.2°C higher than the climate outside, and even a shaded parking spot won’t keep the temperatures much cooler.

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Beyond the expense of the devices themselves, gadgets like laptops, phones and thumb drives contain information that could be easy to steal. If you’re in a position where you have to store your laptop or phone unattended, make sure the information is encrypted, says Eva Velasquez, an identity theft prevention expert. This makes thieves unable to view information without a code, separate from the password used to log in to the device. “It’s a strong layer of protection and would need someone putting a fair amount of effort into it to view,” Velasquez says. “It’s much stronger than password protection.”

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Ironically, the active ingredients in sunscreen break down in high heat. Leaving it in the car on a hot day could reduce its effectiveness. Plus, the heat could cause it to explode, leaving you with a hot mess.

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Leaving a purse or wallet in plain sight makes your car a target for thieves, even if you’ve locked your doors or taken the valuables out of your bag. “It doesn’t matter if the alarm goes off,” Velasquez says. “It’s attractive, and they’re going to grab it.”

Take advantage of your car’s sunglasses compartment while driving, but don’t leave your shades in it after you reach your destination. Heat can warp plastic frames and make metal ones too hot to wear. Leaving your glasses or sunglasses on the dashboard is even worse because the windshield could attract sunlight like a magnifying glass.

If you have personal documents that you plan to mail or shred, make that task a priority on your to-do list. Letting files like school transcripts or tax forms sit in your car while you run other errands or until you have time to take care of them leaves information vulnerable if anyone breaks into your vehicle, Velasquez says. “Put it in the car, take care of it, and then you’re done,” she says. “You have to follow through.”

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Never leave a passport in the car while travelling, even if it seems like it’s too bulky to carry around. Identity theft is even easier with a passport than with a driver’s licence, Velasquez says. “We have to think of data and pieces of our identity as valuables,” she continues. “You’re not going to leave jewellery in the car, but we don’t have that same level of concern with things that make up our identity, and we need to.”

Wait until after work or errands to pick up a bottle of wine. If the bottle gets too hot, the flavour could be affected, and the liquid could expand enough to seep around the cork or push the cork out a bit, contaminating the wine inside.