What you need in case you get pulled over
What you need in case you get into an accident
Wrapping up
What you need in case you get pulled over
In general, there are three main documents you will need to keep in your car in case you are pulled over by the police. These documents are your license, registration, and proof of insurance. You should always keep your license on your person as it is your primary form of identification in the United States, and you might need to show it to someone in a situation when you are not driving such as to buy an age restricted product like alcohol for example.
However, you should always keep your registration and proof of insurance in your glove box for quick access in case you are pulled over. It is important to be able to access these documents quickly when you are pulled over because quickly presenting them to the officer can help expedite the time they need to spend at the traffic stop which can lead to them possibly giving you a break on any tickets.
What you need in case you get into an accident
On top of your insurance and registration documents, you should really consider keeping a few other things in your glove box. These things will help you in case you are in an accident and/or have car trouble. The first of these things is your car’s owner’s manual. This will provide you valuable information that you will need in case your car is not working as intended.
You should also keep a notepad, pen and camera in your glovebox. These things will be very important in case you are in an accident with another car as they will allow you to document the conditions of the vehicles right after the accident as well as any names, numbers and other important information you might need later. You also may want to consider keeping a phone charger and/or external phone battery to use in case your phone is low on charge when you are in an accident.
Wrapping up
Many people use their glove boxes to keep miscellaneous things such as napkins, gloves, CDs glasses etc. That is fine and you should have room for those things but there are much more important items that you should keep handy in your glove box of which you should ensure are always there. This includes your car’s owner’s manual, your registration, your proof of insurance and a camera. These things will allow you to avoid unnecessary tickets if you are pulled over as well as protect you from additional liability in case you are in a car accident.
