An organized vehicle is more than a clean inside! Any object inside your vehicle can impact your personal, financial, and emotional safety. The glove compartment is a place many drivers would naturally put necessary paperwork and everyday items, but is also a prime early hiding spot for thieves during a car break-in. Finally, although your vehicle may be equipped with a locking glove box or advanced security systems these measures are not sufficient to ensure the security of sensitive information from determined thieves.

In addition to the loss of the vehicle, many issues arise from vehicle theft. Often, the documents that come across the desk of a police department are enough to let a thief locate a driver’s residence, steal his identity and even further his crimes before the driver even realizes that his clearance has been stolen. These risks can be lowered and your personal information much more difficult to exploit a few simple changes to what you keep inside your vehicle.

The safe storage routines don’t have to be costly or complicated with security systems. It can make a big difference if you know the correct items for your glove compartment and which ones go elsewhere. The following ten things are just a few of the most crucial items to take out of your car’s glove compartment to help protect you, your money, your car, and your home.

1. Vehicle Registration

It is important to have a valid registration on hand whenever you are driving, but it is not necessary to keep it in your car’s glove compartment, which may expose you to unnecessary security risks. Registration papers generally include information about the vehicle as well as the owner. This information might be useful to criminals if someone breaks into your car. Keeping the registration information secure decreases the risk of identity theft and other security issues.

Key Security Considerations:

• Do not store your original registration
• Secure PVI of personal vehicles
• Minimize ID theft dangers
• Have a Backup Copy on Hand
• Securely store documents

If a thief accesses your registration document, he or she can use the information to make fraudulent documents or find out your home address. This means that there is more risk if you leave your home empty and your car is stolen. Personal information should always be safeguarded as much as any other valuable possessions.

A better alternative is to keep a photocopy in your wallet and/or keep a digital copy on your mobile phone as legally permitted. There are many law enforcement agencies that can verify registration electronically and by doing this, you can keep the original registration in a safe place, and you’re still prepared in case of a routine traffic stop.

2. Personal Papers

Don’t leave your personal papers with sensitive information in your glove compartment for long periods of time. Any papers containing your name, address, insurance information or any other identifying data can be useful tools for criminals. All documents can be of significance and reveal private information if they are stolen from a vehicle during a break-in.

Protect Important Documents:

• Avoid leaving sensitive papers
• Prevents the exposure of identity information
• Bring only necessary papers
• Papers safe at home, store them safely at home
• Reduce fraud and theft

Financial fraudsters or impersonators who steal identities often use information from multiple documents to defraud. A person’s papers can contain enough information for someone to open new accounts or obtain loans in that person’s name. These risks can be significantly reduced by storing vital documents in a safe deposit box or home safe. Only take the necessary paperwork to travel and take all paperwork out of the vehicle upon returning home.

3. Vehicle Title

Your car title is among the most essential vehicle ownership documents, but is seldom used while driving. It is not usually needed when stopped by the police or in other roadside scenarios. It’s not a safe place to leave such an important document. Your vehicle title is one of the most important ownership documents related to your car, but it is rarely needed during everyday driving. It is generally unnecessary during traffic stops or most roadside situations. Leaving such an important document inside your glove compartment creates an unnecessary security risk.

Secure Ownership Documents:

• Do not leave the vehicle unattended
• To AVOID ownership fraud attempts
• Store title at home
• Ensure protection of legal ownership records
• Keep documents secure always

If the title is stolen, thieves could make use of it and create false ownership records or illegally transfer ownership of the vehicle. This kind of fraud can be a lengthy and complex legal matter. It’s much better to store your vehicle title in a safe at home or a locked filing cabinet. By keeping your proof of ownership, you can minimize the risk of theft, damage, or misuse and preserve your proof of ownership.

4. Receipts

Receipts can be found in inside glove compartments because they seem insignificant, but they may actually have a lot more information than most drivers think. Fuel, retail and service receipts can include personal information, payment details, email addresses, or customer loyalty numbers. They can build up unnecessary privacy risks if they are allowed to accrue.

Manage Receipts Carefully:

• Remove receipts frequently
• Keep personal purchase information safe
• Minimize financial privacy threats
• Maintain a clutter free vehicle
• Dispose documents securely

When multiple receipts are combined, they may provide information about the consumer’s purchases and financial transactions, among other things, which criminals could exploit. The value of small pieces of information increases when it is added to other stolen papers. Making a habit of taking receipts out after every trip will help keep your privacy and your vehicle organized. Keep valuable receipts in a safe place at home and properly dispose of old receipts.

5. Valuables

The idea behind keeping valuable items in the glove compartment means they’re safe from thieves is a common misconception. Sadly, many seasoned thieves will search glove compartments first as they know that many valuable items are usually kept in the glove compartment. It can easily prove to be an expensive error to keep valuables in your car.

Protect Valuable Belongings:

• Never leave expensive items
• Prevent easy vehicle theft
• Take them with you along
• Parking: hide items before parking
• Minimize risk of financial loss

Valuables such as electronics, jewelry, cameras and other high dollar items can vanish in a matter of seconds during a burglary. Sometimes, coverage of personal property on board a car may be restricted or be absent, which may lead to higher replacements. If at all possible, remove valuable items from vehicles to take them with you. If you are going to be having to store them temporarily, try to store them somewhere where the people around you will not notice them or you will be the one that will be noticed.

6. Driver’s License

Your driver’s license has many important details to it that should never be left in your car’s glove compartment. Losing your license in a stolen or broken car makes it easier for criminals to steal your identity and more likely you’ll be victim to other crimes of fraud. It is your most important identification so protecting it should always be a priority. Carrying it with you makes it possible to have it on hand when needed, as well as minimizing the risk of security issues.

Protect Your Identification:

• Do not leave license behind
• The key is to be aware of the risks of ID theft and take steps to avoid them
• Carry ID With You
• Always Be Careful with Personal Information
• Carry License Securely Daily

A stolen driver’s license can be used in conjunction with other personal information to establish a fraudulent transaction, open an account, or impersonate the driver. It can be difficult to recover both your ID and car when you lose them both. The best advice is to always keep your driver’s license in your wallet when you are travelling. This easy practice ensures it will stay safe while making it easy to access during traffic stops or any other occasion when identification may be requested.

7. Checkbook and Wallet

Do not leave wallets, checkbooks or payment cards in the glove compartment. These financial items have a great deal of information which can be exploited almost instantly by a criminal if they obtain your car. Just a few moments away from a stop can be enough time to be stolen, so it’s crucial to have these items with you at all times.

Protect Financial Essentials:

• Don’t forget to leave your wallet inside
• Always protect banking information
• Avoid financial fraud risks
• Transport payment cards safely
• Leave valuables at home

A lost wallet or checkbook could reveal bank account numbers, credit cards, identification and personal data that can be used for purchases or fraudulent transactions without your knowledge. Financial theft can be a lengthy and arduous process to recover from. If you keep your wallet and checkbook in your pocket, purse or backpack, you are less likely to be robbed. It is better to have these financial items close by than inside a parked vehicle.

8. Garage Door Opener

A garage door opener may appear to be an innocuous device to leave in your car, but it can become a major security issue if it is stolen. It in combination with evidence of the home address can give the criminals easy access to your property. Garage security is an integral part of home security.

Protect Home Access:

• Don’t leave remote in its case
• Secure garage entry device
• Plan for home security risks to be avoided
• Secure property against theft
• Use safer access methods

A garage door is frequently unlocked and left open, which makes it an easy spot for thieves to break into the house. Once inside the garage, thieves can access vehicles, tools, storage areas or even the main living area. If possible, park your garage door opener or secure access to it when parked in public areas. This added layer of protection can make a huge difference in the security of your home.

9. Vehicle Repair Invoices

Vehicle repair invoice is the handy document to keep track of your vehicle’s maintenance history, but it also has personal information that shouldn’t be stored in your glove compartment. Your name, address, contact information and vehicle information are included in many invoices. It’s unnecessary to put these types of documents inside your car.

Secure Maintenance Records:

• Keep service records secure
• Keep electronic personal repair information safe
• Create home documents organizations
• Prevent information misuse
• Minimize users’ privacy security risks

While repair invoices have its advantages when it comes to keeping track of maintenance, it could serve as an additional good source of information for a criminal if your car is stolen. Information contained on these documents may be used in identity theft or fraud. There is a great advantage to having maintenance records in order and in a safe place at home for easy retrieval when necessary and to keep your personal information protected and safe. Document storage is a key part of minimizing unneeded security risks.

10. Household Batteries

It might sound like a solution to your emergency needs to keep extra batteries in your car’s glove box, but the situation can deteriorate over time when extreme temperatures are present in a car. Exposing batteries to heat and cold frequently can accelerate chemical breakdown, causing batteries to lose their effectiveness during times of use. Their effectiveness can be maintained by proper storage.

Store Batteries Properly:

• Don’t expose to extreme temperatures
• Keep emergency power supply safe
• Change older batteries on schedule
• Maintain batteries in cool areas
• Ensure reliable back-up power supplies

Fluctuating temperatures in vehicles that are left parked can decrease battery life and overall capacity. When batteries start to run low, they’re not as reliable when it comes time to use them for emergency lighting or other critical devices if the unexpected happens. Wherever possible, keep spare batteries in a cool, dry location and check batteries periodically for signs of aging. If you leave battery in vehicle, change batteries regularly to assure they are ready to use when necessary.