Bad idea of the summer: Many vacationers leave this in their vehicle

Many drivers leave this in their cars, here's why they shouldn't.

Beach toys, towels, umbrellas, coolers...we often have quite a few things to pack when we go to the beach. This is one of the reasons why many vacationers tend to leave certain items in their cars once they're parked near the beach. This applies to valuables, like jewelry, which is best avoided leaving unattended on the sand for any length of time, but also to items that could be lost by carelessly slipping them into a bag or the pocket of your swim trunks.

A priori, storing your belongings in a locked vehicle is safer. But this doesn't justify leaving just any old thing in your car, especially when you're going away for several hours. Many drivers tend to get rid of as much as possible before going to the beach, including vehicle documents. Leaving your registration document in the glove compartment or any other small storage space is a very bad idea because it can have serious consequences.

The registration certificate contains personal information such as your name and address. In the event of theft, this information can be used for malicious purposes, such as a burglary if thieves realize you're currently away from home. Even worse, if your vehicle has disappeared after returning from the beach, leaving the registration document inside is a godsend for criminals. The thief will then have the necessary documents to claim to be the rightful owner of the vehicle. This will make it easier to resell it or export it to another country.

To avoid this kind of catastrophic scenario, the best solution is to always keep your vehicle documents with you, even when you go to the beach. Admittedly, the registration document, with its large size and three sections, isn't the most practical document to store in a wallet. But it's one of those documents that you absolutely mustn't leave within reach of thieves. The good news is that, like the driver's license since the beginning of the year, the registration document will soon be dematerialized. It will then be found in the France Identité app on your smartphone, which, as you might imagine, is very unlikely to remain in your car for several hours.