Your glove box is off-limits for these things
As a responsible driver, you might think your glove box is the perfect place to keep essential items. In a survey conducted by Canadian motoring association AMA, 77 per cent of its members said they keep documents like their registration and insurance in their glove box. Unfortunately, though, the glove box is often the first place thieves look after they break one of your car windows or jimmy a lock.
“We have reports from our law enforcement partners that car thieves have stolen the car, driven it to the residence, and burgled the home before the owner even knew the vehicle was missing,” Joe Wehrle, CEO of US-based National Insurance Crime Bureau, told Clark.com. To protect yourself, here’s what you should take out of your glove box, pronto.
Personal papers
Your glove box might seem like a convenient place to store important documents, but you should never leave anything with personal information like your home address there – including your car registration papers. “It’s just too easy for thieves to take your ID and use it to make phoney credit cards, loan applications – you name it,” Frank Scafidi, a spokesman for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, told carinsurancequotes.com.
Receipts
Receipts can contain all kinds of personal information: your name, address, email address, sometimes even your credit card number. That’s a field day for identity thieves. Keep your receipts at home instead.
Valuables
It’s a good idea to store valuables like electronics out of sight if you don’t plan to take them with you. But placing them in your glove box doesn’t make them safe. And keep in mind that car insurance doesn’t cover personal items that might be stolen from your car.
Driver’s licence
Your licence is also a treasure trove of information to identity thieves. Keep it in your wallet instead of the glove box.
Wallet
Stowing your credit cards in the glove box is also a bad idea. Thieves can have access to your account numbers and can make purchases with your cards. Carry your credit cards and wallet with you in a backpack or handbag instead.
Garage door remote control
If your car is out and about, thieves know you’re not home. They may be able to find out where you live if you’ve left documents that include your address in your car. And access to your garage door, such as a remote control left in your car, is basically rolling out the welcome mat to thieves.
Invoices
You might be holding on to the itemisation of your car’s last service because of the list of suggested future repairs. Not a bad idea, but don’t stow it in your glove box. Invoices often also include your home address.
Batteries
Keeping a supply of batteries on hand seems like a good idea to keep you’re a torch working in case of emergency. But temperature fluctuations can greatly affect the quality of batteries. Heat speeds up the chemical deterioration, so don’t store them in your glove box during the warmer months and change them regularly to make sure they’re still in good nick.
Extra set of keys
It may be handy to have an extra set of house keys in case you lose them. But keeping them in your glove box could provide thieves with another easy entry to your home.