Honestly, I get the paranoia about losing docs, but I think people overthink the whole “paper backup” thing.
If your phone dies, odds are you’re not stranded in the middle of nowhere with no charger. Most cops these days accept digital proof anyway. I ditched the glovebox clutter years ago—never looked back. The garage opener though? That’s a real risk. Thieves love that easy access. I’d worry more about that than a missing insurance card, honestly.I still keep a paper backup just in case my phone dies, but yeah, less is definitely more.
Honestly, I’m with you on the digital thing—my phone’s got everything now. But I still get a little nervous if I don’t have a backup, even if it’s just a screenshot saved somewhere offline. Maybe that’s just my “student driver” nerves talking... I keep thinking, what if my phone dies *and* I’m in some random area where my charger’s in the trunk or something? Not likely, but not impossible.
The garage opener point is underrated though. People just leave that thing out in the open, and if someone breaks into your car, they basically get a free pass into your house. Way bigger risk than losing an insurance card, for sure. Honestly, half the stuff we keep in cars is more valuable to thieves than paperwork ever will be.
Still, part of me thinks there’s a generational gap here—my parents swear by having every doc printed and stashed “just in case.” Maybe it’s just habit at this point.
I get where you’re coming from—phones are super convenient, but I still keep a paper copy of my insurance in the glove box, just in case. Maybe it’s old-school, but tech fails at the worst times. As for the garage opener, yeah, that thing’s basically a house key. I started taking mine inside after a neighbor’s car got broken into last year. It’s wild what people leave lying around in their cars without thinking twice...
As for the garage opener, yeah, that thing’s basically a house key. I started taking mine inside after a neighbor’s car got broken into last year.
I get the logic, but honestly, if I had to remember to grab my garage opener every time, I'd probably just end up locked out of my own house. My brain's already juggling enough—half the time I forget where I parked, let alone what’s in my cupholder.
About insurance docs, I ditched the paper years ago. My glove box is a black hole for ketchup packets and expired registration slips anyway. If my phone dies, I figure that’s just fate telling me to take a nap until it charges. Worst case, the cops get a laugh out of my “I swear it’s on my phone somewhere” routine.
But yeah, people leave wild stuff in their cars. Saw someone with a full set of golf clubs and a laptop just chilling on the backseat at a trailhead once... that’s just asking for trouble.
I just got my first policy and was paranoid about losing the docs, so I scanned them and emailed myself a copy. Not sure if that’s overkill, but my glove box is a mess too. I’d probably lose them under old receipts and gum wrappers anyway.
