Many of us are guilty of leaving items on display in our cars. Quite often we don't even consider the items we leave to be risky. It's vital to remember that any item you leave on display may be highly desirable to a thief so it's best to err on the side of caution and leave the bare minimum on display in your car. Remember that a broken window causes huge inconvenience to you but it only takes a thief a second to break the window and grab the items - so they don't care if the items have small value.
Did you know - groceries and clothes are in the top five items stolen from cars! And for many items such as sunglasses and jewellery, it’s impossible to judge the value from outside of the vehicle.
Of course, the best advice is not to leave anything in your car – if it’s not there, it can’t be stolen. Other security measures you can take include:
- Park in well-lit and busy areas if possible
- Take it with you – don’t hide items in your car. The glove box is often the first place thieves look. If you must leave it in there, lock it in the boot.
- Never leave registration documents or other valuable documents in the car
- Never leave your car keys or house keys in the car – only for a minute whilst on the drive
If we haven’t persuaded you yet to take items with you, here are a list of items you really shouldn’t be leaving in your car – over and above the risk of theft! Extreme changes in temperature can affect the following items:
Electronics
Apart from the fact that the devices themselves are vulnerable to theft, it’s important to consider the risk of theft of the data contained on the devices if it is not encrypted. Also, changes in temperatures can damage your devices and reduce battery life.
Medication
Most medicine needs to be left a room temperature – which a car rarely stays at. Change in temperatures won’t necessarily make your medication harmful but it may well make it less effective.
Sunscreen
Ironically, the active ingredient in sunscreen is actually sensitive to extreme heat. So remember that sunscreen left in the car may not protect you as well as it should.
Sunglasses
Always take advantage of the sunglasses compartment in your car. As well as hiding them away, it avoids the sunlight acting as a magnifying glass if they are left on the dashboard.
Aerosol Cans
In intense heat, aerosol cans have been known to explode – even in the UK.
Plastic Water Bottles
Many plastic bottles are BPA-free, there are other chemicals that can become volatile in the heat, so that they leach into the water. Microorganisms are also more likely to reproduce if the bottle has been left lying around for a while in the car.
