This is why you don't leave a drink -- especially a carbonated one -- in your car during a Minnesota winter.

I borrowed my wife's car the other day and was miffed to find an open can of frozen sparkling water left in the cup holder. It could be argued, I supposed, that the can was open and she'd been drinking from it, so it wasn't as primed for destruction as an unopened bottle of carbonated drink. But as a born-and-raised Minnesotan I would have expected her to know better. A photo posted to the Minnesota thread of Reddit shows the aftermath of someone else's sparkling water after it exploded inside their car in the dead of Minnesota winter.

Left a sparkling water in the car. from r/Minneapolis

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"Left a sparkling water in the car," Reddit user ghrarhg titled the photo. Carbonated water can be seen frozen all over the gear stick, dashboard, radio, steering wheel and windshield.

The photo has generated nearly a thousand comments in just a day, with many commiserating and sharing their own woeful stories.

"Look on the bright side. At least it wasn’t a soda."

"Can confirm — I did it with a Dr Pepper in high school. Car was never the same."

"Yup I did it with a red zero sugar monster engergy drink. the upholstery on my ceiling still has red spots. Also in Minneapolis."

"Yep. A coke exploded in my car a few years ago. I still find sticky places."

"My dad’s best friend in high had a jug of milk explode in the back of his car, my dad says it smelled like milk when the car warmed up from that day on."

The lesson here? Don't leave liquid in your car during winter in Minnesota. Ever.

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