# where do you put car insurance/registration?



## joncnca (Jul 12, 2009)

Might sound like a funny question, but I started thinking about it when someone tried to steel my wife's car (i.e. broke the door, pulled out the ignition switch, but somehow didn't get away with the car).

I was told by the police officer to be careful about leaving a copy of my insurance/registration in the car because it has my home address on it and this is apparently one of the easiest ways for crooks to get a hold of someone's home address from a car.

I can carry a copy around in my wallet, but my wife doesn't always carry a wallet or purse or whatever, and she switches back and forth whereas I just have the one wallet.

What do you guys do? Did this even occur to you before?


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## Daniel A. (Mar 20, 2011)

Insurance/registration is always kept in the car the only issue one should have is if you have a garage door opener.


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

Daniel A. said:


> Insurance/registration is always kept in the car the only issue one should have is if you have a garage door opener.


That issue has always gnawed at me but it is not practical to carry the freaking opener in one's pocket either. The only time I pull the insurance/registration out of the car is when the vehicle is left outside (in a local/regional parking lot) on an overnight basis, e.g. airports or hotels. I will take the risk at other times, including long distance, e.g. out-of-province, parking lots.

The rationale I have is criminals are somewhat lazy, i.e. firstly they are unlikely to break in the vehicle and secondly even if they do and find my address, they are unlikely to take the time to drive more than 2-3 hours to my house to break into it. And we have an ADT security system at the house as well.


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## Oldroe (Sep 18, 2009)

Address are low end issue. Any phone book has most address.

New a girl that would go and test drive cars until she found a ownership. Forge a signature and change it into her name, when the cops would track her down she would tell them she paid cash and even sometimes have a bank receipt some where around the amount.

Photo copies only in my car.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Oldroe said:


> Address are low end issue. Any phone book has most address.
> 
> New a girl that would go and test drive cars until she found a ownership. Forge a signature and change it into her name, when the cops would track her down she would tell them she paid cash and even sometimes have a bank receipt some where around the amount.
> *
> Photo copies only in my car*.


Absolutely. never..never leave the original registration or insurance papers in the car. 
I once had my wallet stolen with all the important papers in it...went to the license bureau and for $10, they made me a new copy of the registration papers. I had to completer a form that was the reason for replacement.

Identity theft and the thieves knowing where you live are the biggest worries. 

Not sure how easy it is to forge ownership though. Unless the crooks have the MOT green papers with the red numbers on them, it' harder for them to forge the ownership ..but maybe they can, especially when the stolen
vehicle is taken to another province with fake bill of sale etc. 

This is what you need to have with you to change ownership:

Bring your current vehicle permit and 1 of the following documents:
new vehicle information statement
original manufacturer's invoice
bill/certificate of sale from original dealer
original certificate of title/origin
statement from a vehicle dealer on company letterhead explaining the difference, or
original vehicle manufacturer's warranty.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

In Ontario, a drivers license, vehicle ownership, and proof of insurance must all be surrendered on demand to police.

Failure to do so is an infraction of the Highway Traffic Act, and a "conviction" on a driver record. Insurance companies will note it as a conviction.

The police officer may decide to allow a person to present it at the police station before laying a charge..........but they don't have to and many don't.

There is no "grace period" in Ontario.

My son learned the hard way.........despite the police officer being presented proof of insurance 5 minutes after he wrote the ticket.

I would always keep copies in the vehicle.


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## Oldroe (Sep 18, 2009)

Have many times produced photo copy's with no real problems.

The only time we have the original ownership is if we are traveling and it's on our person.

The only thing this girl needed was original ownership and she owned your car.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

sags said:


> In Ontario, a drivers license, vehicle ownership, and proof of insurance must all be surrendered on demand to police.
> 
> Failure to do so is an infraction of the Highway Traffic Act, and a "conviction" on a driver record. Insurance companies will note it as a conviction.
> 
> ...


It used to be that way..48 hrs in Ontario ..maybe that was for the insurance slip? However, it looks like nowdays it's a $65 fine for not being able to produce a licence on the stop, but if you give the cop other id that has your name and address, and decide to take it to traffic court, with that explanation, you may be able to get off.


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

I always understood that the registration and proof of insurance had to be carried in the car. Ontario Vehicle permits specifically state that registration 'or a true copy' must be carried in the car when it is operated on the highway. I'm pretty sure the same goes for proof of insurance. Theoretically if you are the only driver, you could just carry in your wallet, but that's risky. You're more likely to get a ticket for not having your registration than anything else. I'd like to know who this anonymous "police officer" is who is quoted on several web sites as recommending otherwise. 

From the point of view of keeping a car thief from getting your address, there is no difference between original and a copy.

If your car is stolen, along with the garage door remote, reprogram your garage door opener.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

In AB, I know having your registration is a must, and you will be fined, in addition to having more than one copy of your registration. For insurance you can produce it in 48 hours.

Again, photocopies will not help if your car is stolen. While we are at it, make sure if you have a GPS that you don't out home location address.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Plugging Along said:


> In AB, I know having your registration is a must, and you will be fined, in addition to having more than one copy of your registration. For insurance you can produce it in 48 hours.
> 
> Again, photocopies will not help if your car is stolen. While we are at it, make sure if you have a GPS that you don't out home location address.


What happens then if your purse is lost or stolen? or your wallet? If you still have your car, how do you drive home without
those important papers?

Having a GPS in the vehicle pointing to your home location is silly, but the car thieves..if they are interested
in more than your car, will be able to determine your home location with your GPS left in the car and open the garage door, if it has not been reprogrammed. 


They also have your indentity and home address.... as I found out..it costs about $10 each to replace any stolen documents at the MOT...driver's license/registration.


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## Mortgage u/w (Feb 6, 2014)

One can dwell and disect this issue as much as you want. Bottom line, if a crook wants a piece of you, he'll get you. If he's stealing your car and happens to fall upon your papers, he won't change his mind about the car and come rob your house just because he stumbled upon your address.....a crook doesn't need directions when he wants to invade a home. He studies the right one and plans his invasion strategically.

I keep my registration, insurance and garage door opener in my car. Seems silly that a crook will want to break into my car just to access the door opener. If I had to invade a home, I think it would be much easier to break into the home rather than the car first. And if one were to break in....heck, I would help carry my tube TV and DVD player to his car! Will give me a reason to make use of my insurance company! 

Very rare that a thieve targets randomly. You'll most always give him a lead of some sort. I have nothing valuable in my home or my car....so if the tube TV is what your after or my old GPS, please be my guest - you'd be doing me a favor!


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## lonewolf (Jun 12, 2012)

kinda off topic but I have a key wired on underneath my car which has come in handy a few times when I have missed placed my keys.


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## hboy43 (May 10, 2009)

Hi:

I keep the materials in the car because you have to have them there by law and it is just too much of a PITA to transfer them in and out for security reasons.

What makes this all most annoying is that I don't believe for a microsecond that a policeman via his/her computer system doesn't already have access to this information. Or if they don't they should. So the only reason it remains on the books is for "revenue tool" purposes.

hboy43


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

I was surprised to learn from my insurance agent that the police have access to insurance information...........to determine if the insurance is valid.

People with very high insurance rates used to get away with buying insurance..........getting the slip..........and then cancelling the insurance, but keeping the slip to show police.

Not anymore. The police can check to see if the insurance is current.

Computer data banks changed the way things are done in a lot of ways.

As for a thief stealing my car...........or going into my house and stealing all the furniture...........they can have it all.

That is why I pay insurance premiums.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

lonewolf said:


> kinda off topic but I have a key wired on underneath my car which has come in handy a few times when I have missed placed my keys.


Good idea. 
I used to carry a spare key in my wallet..but after my wallet got stolen (in a sportsplex swimming changeroom), I was
worried that the theives would come and steal my vehicle at night since they knew my address from my licence and registration.

I had thieves try to break into my truck in the middle of the night a couple months after that..but obviously they did not have that key or these were a different set of thieves. They tried to jimmy the door handle on the passenger side..and in the process bent the handle and locking mechanism. 

Right after that, I had an aftermarket alarm installed.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

hboy43 said:


> Hi:
> 
> I keep the materials in the car because you have to have them there by law and it is just too much of a PITA to transfer them in and out for security reasons.
> 
> ...


The only other reason if you can't produce the licence and registration papers would be a stolen vehicle...or you forget/lost or had your purse/wallet stolen. Without identity papers, they would still fine you..but if your excuse for not having the papers in the vehicle is legit..you can plead your
case in traffic court or have some of these Xcoppers/ticket fightin' organizations represent you.


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

hboy43 said:


> Hi:
> 
> I keep the materials in the car because you have to have them there by law and it is just *too much of a PITA to transfer them in and out for security reasons.*
> 
> ...


I'm surprised this thread did not get deleted. 

+1.


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## lonewolf (Jun 12, 2012)

Off topic again but in some ways I make it easier for a thief to steal from me. A few years back my mom lost the tool for removing the lug nuts to take tires off in on. one lug nut is used for each tire of the cars now days that takes a special wench so thiefs can not steal) Phoned the dealership cant remember exact number but it was over a hundred dollars a tire to remove the special lug nut. I know that was BS & somehow it could be done cheaper then that. Took car to local tire shop they took them off & replaced with ordinary lug nut that would fit a tire wench. They charged me $10.00 total. To avoid that situation ever occurring again I remove the special lug nut when I get a new car. Where I live I never heard of anyone getting all 4 wheels taken off their car. I think the odds are higher it will cost me less money to remove that special lug nut & take my chances of getting the wheels off my car stolen


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

lonewolf said:


> one lug nut is used for each tire of the cars now days that takes a special wench so thiefs can not steal) Phoned the dealership cant remember exact number but it was over a hundred dollars a tire to remove the special lug nut. . To avoid that situation ever occurring again I remove the special lug nut when I get a new car. *Where I live I never heard of anyone getting all 4 wheels taken off their car.* I think the odds are higher it will cost me less money to remove that special lug nut & take my chances of getting the wheels off my car stolen


depends where you live..there was some incidents of cars having all 4 wheels stolen if the vehicle was unattended for any length of time with no security,and how far out they were parked in the large parking lots with dim lighting, esp during midnight shifts. Never heard of any being stolen during the day. 

I bought some of those special keyed lug nuts for my aluminium rims on my truck when I heard that thieves were driving into an unsecured parking lot at night at the place I used to work and jacking up the vehicle stealing the wheels. 

However, the ones I had stuck out more from the rim than the regular wheel nuts, so anyone with a large vise grip might be able to latch on the lug nut and loosen it.


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## martin15 (Feb 18, 2014)

joncnca said:


> Might sound like a funny question, but I started thinking about it when someone tried to steel my wife's car (i.e. broke the door, pulled out the ignition switch, but somehow didn't get away with the car).
> 
> I was told by the police officer to be careful about leaving a copy of my insurance/registration in the car because it has my home address on it and this is apparently one of the easiest ways for crooks to get a hold of someone's home address from a car.
> 
> ...



I used to leave the registration and insurance in the car, and just ... meh.

Living in Europe taught me to carry those papers on me, not the car.
Too much information in those documents, and too easy to forge.


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