Honestly, I get where your instructor’s coming from. I’ve seen a couple claims where people had their registration and insurance cards swiped, and it’s a pain to deal with. In MA, you’re technically supposed to have the originals in the car, but I know some folks keep copies and stash the real ones at home—just in case. Cops usually want the original registration, though. I’d say keep just the registration and insurance card in there, nothing with your full address or any extra paperwork. And yeah, the RMV checklist thing is a joke—half the time you still end up missing something random. I just keep a photo of everything on my phone as backup, just in case... not sure if it’s “official,” but it’s saved me once or twice.
I just keep a photo of everything on my phone as backup, just in case... not sure if it’s “official,” but it’s saved me once or twice.
That’s actually smart—digital backups can be a lifesaver if you ever lose your docs. Just a heads up though, in MA, police usually want to see the physical registration and insurance card. I’ve had clients get off with a warning when they only had photos, but it’s hit or miss. I always tell folks: originals in the glovebox (nothing extra), copies at home, and digital pics for peace of mind. It’s not perfect, but it covers most bases.
I do the same—photos on my phone, just in case. But yeah, in MA, I’ve had a cop actually refuse to even look at the digital copy once. It’s a pain, but I keep the real stuff in the glovebox now. Digital’s just my backup plan.
I’ve run into that too—one officer was fine with my phone, another wouldn’t even glance at it. Guess it depends who you get. Ever had trouble with insurance cards? I’ve had to dig through my glovebox more than once when the app glitched.
I hear you on the insurance cards. I keep a paper copy tucked behind my registration just in case—those apps always seem to glitch at the worst possible time. Not fancy, but it’s saved me some hassle more than once.