When the weather heats up, people tend to be extra cautious about leaving kids and pets in hot cars, with good reason. But experts say there are some other items you should avoid keeping in your car as they can be dangerous for various reasons.
- Mirrors - Natausha Furlong learned this the hard way after coming out to her car and finding smoke coming from her child’s car seat. She wasn’t sure what caused the seat to catch fire, but her nine-year-old figured out that a mirror used to keep an eye on the baby while Furlong was driving sparked the fire.
- Water bottles - “You may not know this, but when you leave water bottles in the car, the warm temperatures will transfer some of the chemicals from the plastic into the water,” explains car safety expert Lauren Fix.
- Phones and tablets - These electronic devices tend to get really hot sitting in the car, which can damage batteries and shorten their life.
- Cigarette lighters - Leaving a lighter on the car dashboard can also lead to a fire, Fix warns. “When the temperature is over 100-degrees, they can expand and catch fire,” she says.
- Sunscreen - Not only will it make the liquid hot when you go to apply it, the heat can also reduce the sunscreen’s SPF.
- Aerosol cans - If left in a hot car, they can explode and Fix points out that they are very flammable.
- Medication - Experts also caution against leaving medicine in a hot car as the temperatures can cause it to melt or weaken its effectiveness.
Source: Inside Edition