Inspired by this thread, why do Americans have to keep their car documents h them? Here in the U.K., you don’t have to carry them, and, given reason, the police can simply require you to present them at any police station within a few days. Given their bulk, the rampant theft of autos, and the importance of documentation to a sale, surely the U.K. way makes more sense? So what’s the Straight Dope on the American way?
Why would it make more sense? It seems like it would be a waste of time for me to go there when i can just carry them in my car and show them to the officer on the spot. Having documents in the car will not make a difference for theft because the owner would report it stolen and even if the stealer somehow changed the documents to say he owned the car the Department of Motor Vehicles would show no record of it since the true owner never sold it.
If you keep them it makes it easier if you get pulled over. I don’t keep any documents in my car in the fear that it will get stolen. I’ve gotten pulled over once and since I did not have my insurance papers on me, I had to go downtown and prove it. Which cost me a half day off work.
Bulk? All you need to carry is your registration and insurance. Together they would be no bulkier than a folded paper napkin, errr serviette.
Besides, cars are registered by the state, or here in Canada by the province. Having your papers with you at all times, when you’re not driving in your own state or province makes sense. Although I suppose in this electronic, interconnected world there may be ways for police to verify to whom a vehicle is registered without seeing the paperwork…
I carry my license, registration and insurance “card” (really a small paper) in the business card case/key ring I use. I do it so I can keep the car unlocked and not worry about the papers being lost or stolen. They take up a 2" square area in one slot in the case; I don’t even notice them.
It’s not like you have to carry the title or sale documents with you, and in fact these should be stored in a safety deposit box or other secure area away from the car. Inspection and registration stickers stay on the exterior of the car.
Too funny.
Maybe in the UK, they’re printed on thick metal sheets 
You are required to have proof of insurance. Most insurance companies issue a small card to be carried for just this purpose. You do not have to have all the details of your insurance policy with you.
I got pulled over a few years ago and couldn’t find my documentation (other than my license), due to a combination of too much stuff in the glove box and legitimately not know what the heck I’d been stopped for. After a brief, fruitless search the officer told me it didn’t matter, it’d all come up on the computer anyway. And it did.
If you own the car, I don’t see the point in carrying registration or insurance papers, if it’s all electronic. Who cares if a piece of paper says the same information as the police database? Being in a no-fault state, proof of insurance isn’t even needed for an accident (“needed”, not “required”). The state knows if I’m insured or not, so that’s good enough.
On the other hand, I do keep this documentation, including a Canadian card for Canada (they’re free, just ask your insurance company for one).
In many states the registration and/or proof of insurance by law must be produced on demand by an officer. That’s the point of keeping it in the car: If you are stopped and don’t have it, you may get a ticket for not having it.
You don’t have to carry the car’s title, only proof that it’s registered. One would be a damn fool to carry the title in their car.
Where I have lived in the states (California and New Mexico) There are several pertinent documents.
-
Car title. This is the ownership document for the car and it stays home in a safe place. This is what gets signed when you sell the car.
-
Registration. This needs to be with you when you operate the car. You get a new one each year when you pay the license fee. Not used when selling the car.
-
Proof of insurance. This needs to be with you when you operate the car. You get a new one every 6 months when you renew your policy. Not used when selling the car.
-
Driver’s license. This needs to be with you when you operate the car. Not used when selling the car.
In this day and age of instant communication with the central data base it may not be that necessary to have any thing but the driver’s license for law enforcement to verify things the laws say you have to have them when you operate the car.
I think it would be a pain to carry around the documents for my cars with me. I prefer to have them in the car. Being married both my wife and I would need to have several sets of documents with us.
Technically true. However, you are overlooking the source of revenue that the government enjoys from people who do not have them in the car or, in Michigan, for having neglected to have a signature on some of them at the time the officer reviews them.
I’ve been pulled over a few times and I’ve never been asked for my car’s registration. Does that vary by state?
In Oklahoma, all you have to carry is proof of insurance. That’s a half-sheet of paper that goes in the glovebox and can’t really be used for anything else.
We’re not required to carry registration and I’ve always wondered what that meant. If “registration” <> “title”, then what is it? Is it just another piece of paper like the proof of insurance?
I totally forgot that I asked a similar question a few months back. Found it when I was searching on the topic!
So, why do I need to provide an insurance card to the cop in this modern age?
Not the same question, but there was some interesting discussion.
In California, “registration” in this context refers to a small (3.5" square or so) piece of paper affirming that the annual registration fees for the vehicle have been paid. Printed on it is the owner’s (and lienholder’s, if there is one) name and address, basic info about the vehicle, and valid dates of the current registration. I don’t have mine in front of me, but the fine print says something to the effect that it (or a copy) must be carried in the vehicle, and presented to a peace officer upon demand.
It comes in the mail with the license plate sticker (which the owner then affixes to the rear plate) after payment of the annual registration fee.
Proof-of-insurance cards will vary by insurance company, but mine is a credit card-sized piece of stiff paper.
In New York State, the owner (whose name is on the title) and the registrant (whose name is on the registration) don’t have to be the same entities/persons. The registration is a small piece of paper a little bigger than a business card that has the name and address of the registrant, the vehicle’s VIN & description (color, weight, vehicle type). We also have to pay a registration fee every two years, and the amount paid and expiration date are on the registration card.
When you get pulled over here, the police usually ask right away for license and registration. The license is to show of course that you’re allowed to drive; the registration is a first pass at whether you’re entitled to drive the vehicle (if it’s in your name, it’s clearly not stolen). I have never been asked to show my proof of insurance, but I’d better be able to if asked - I think there’s a fine for not being able to produce license & registration on demand, but that’s fortunately never been an issue for me.
The title should NEVER be kept in the car, because someone could use it to sell your vehicle wihtout permission and the DMV might not notice before it was too late.
I think this is mainly an issue if you have been involved in an accident, and have to provide your insurance information to the investigating officer and/or the other driver.
I never understood this logic. What good does it do a car thief to have a piece of paper showing that the car is registered to me? If I’ve reported the car stolen, then he’s screwed anyway. If the car is not yet reported stolen and the thief doesn’t have the registration, then what will the cops do? Arrest him for not having registration while driving a car belonging to someone else? They will not arrest him for stealing a car if the car is not reported stolen, no matter whether he has registration or not. Is it SOP for the cops to hold the driver while they contact the owner to see if it’s stolen? I doubt it.
The title is the document that says you own the car. You get the title once, when you pay for the car. You have to have the title to be able to sell the car.
The registration is the document that says you paid your annual fee required by the state to be able to operate the car on public streets. You renew your registration every year (or possibly for multiple years in some states).
The title is your proof of ownership of the car. Mine is a heavy-weight (but not stiff) 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper with a raised embossed seal. Mine was issued by Washington State, the state in which I bought and first registered the car. I keep the title at home.
The registration is the proof that you have registered (i.e., paid the taxes for) the car in the state you currently live in. Mine is a computer print-out, again 8 1/2 x 11, on cheap green computer paper. I keep the registration in the glove box, as required by law in my state.
My proof of insurance is a business-card sized card, which I keep with the registration in the car.