After days of wintery weather, more snow is on the way for Scotland this weekend and experts are urging motorists to make sure their vehicle is free of important items - as they could be destroyed.
Motoring experts at CarMoney have revealed the things that you should never leave in your car overnight in winter - including medication as doing so can actually make it ineffective. They also revealed other valuable belongings like laptops can become damaged if left in a vehicle on a cold snowy night.
CarMoney experts explained: "Many people may leave their daily medication in the car as a reminder to take them on their daily commute. But leaving prescribed medications in the car overnight during the winter may hinder their effectiveness, and even render them dangerous to take."
Hard pills and capsules should be affected the least, but the active chemicals in liquids and injectable medications can be altered by the low temperature and can degrade quickly. Always store your medication at room temperature to maintain its potency.
Andrew Marshall, motoring expert at CarMoney said: ‘Just as there are certain items that can be damaged by high temperatures if left in our cars, many unexpected belongings can also be negatively affected by the cold.
"Not only can this potentially cost us money due to items breaking, but it can also impact our health, such as medications and even dangerous explosions of some products. To combat this, we recommend always taking key items out of the car into the house where it is warmer and more secure.’
The specialists have explained how seven other items can become damaged if left in your car in cold weather.
1. Glasses can become warped and break
If you leave your glasses or even sunglasses in the car during the winter months, you may find that the frames become more vulnerable to breaking.
The extremely cold temperatures can damage the lenses by causing them to expand and contract, resulting in a distorted or warped vision. Compromised driving glasses can be dangerous when you need a clear vision of the road.
You can combat this by keeping your glasses in a case or bringing them inside after your journey.
2. Musical instruments may be prone to damage
Whether it's your own musical instrument or a leftover from your child's music lesson, always take the instrument inside to avoid inadvertently damaging it in a cold snap.
Violins, guitars and cellos, plus other wooden instruments are vulnerable to shrinking and expanding in cold temperatures, which will damage or break the glue joints, making them out of tune at best or at worst, unplayable.
3. Spare batteries may burst and leak in the cold
If you’re tempted to leave a pack of AA batteries in the car ‘just in case’, think again.
You’ll find that your batteries will run out of energy sooner due to the cold temperature affecting the electrochemical reactions within the battery, and alkaline batteries can even burst and leak. Opt for wind-up torches for winter car emergencies instead of carrying extra batteries.
4. Laptops & mobile phones can have internal batteries compromised
Similar to the reasons why leaving batteries in the car during winter is a bad idea, laptops and other electronic devices will fare just as badly due to their internal lithium-ion batteries becoming compromised by the cold weather.
Expensive electronics should also be moved out of the car overnight due to security reasons.
5. Aerosols become destabilised in extremely cold temperatures
It may be tempting to keep a can of deodorant in the glove compartment for deodorising on the go but aerosols can become dangerous with exposure to extreme cold.
A low temperature can cause the pressurised cans to destabilise, resulting in cracks or even an explosion of the can. The same goes for hairspray, spray paint or WD-40.
6. Canned food can become inedible when the seal breaks
Freezing temperatures can do the opposite of keeping food fresh when it causes canned food to freeze and expand, breaking the seal.
If the seal is not broken after being left overnight in freezing temperatures, it may be possible to defrost the tin of food in the fridge but if it looks or smells bad, do not eat it.
7. Fizzy drinks may burst
Your favourite can of pop should never be left in a car overnight during sub-zero temperatures as you’ll find that it can create quite a mess when the can explodes.
The frozen carbonated beverage will expand as it freezes, and put pressure on the dissolved CO2 inside, causing the can to explode or fizz more when opened manually. Instead, keep cartons of juice or bottled water in your car if you need emergency drinks.
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