You should always be careful about what you leave in your car during periods of high heat.
A fuel leak, a short circuit in the battery, damaged electrical wires, oil leaking onto the engine… there are many factors that can cause a vehicle to catch fire. Unfortunately, when it does break out, the fire can quickly reduce a car to ashes. And in this case, it is better to have good insurance so as not to cry all the tears in your body! It is often difficult to anticipate such a catastrophic scenario, even if regular maintenance of your vehicle reduces the risk of seeing it go up in smoke. However, other causes can cause a fire to start, some being much more unexpected than others.
You should always be careful about what you leave in your car when you leave it in the sun for several hours. Some objects can become very dangerous if they are exposed to high temperatures for too long. However, it can easily be 50 degrees in the passenger compartment of a car parked in direct sunlight on a beautiful summer’s day. In this context, all plastic objects become potentially dangerous, including those that contain… water! This is why you should avoid leaving a bottle in your vehicle when you are away for several hours as much as possible.
The plastic container can act as a magnifying glass by focusing the sun’s rays on a particular point. If the bottle is located near flammable materials, such as the fabric of a seat or the plastics of the dashboard, there is a risk that a fire will spread inside the car. This is fortunately quite rare but there have already been cases, like this American who had the sad experience last year when he recovered his burnt-out van!
In addition to the fire hazard that this can cause, leaving a bottle exposed to high heat for too long can also cause gastrointestinal illnesses. While it is recommended to hydrate regularly in hot weather, high temperatures can promote the growth of bacteria inside the bottle, not to mention that the plastic can release chemicals that mix with the liquid. To avoid all these problems, it is wiser to use stainless steel insulated bottles or glass thermoses when traveling by car.