Should Driving License and Vehicle License Be Kept in the Car or on the Person?
4 Answers
It is best to keep the driving license and vehicle license on your person. However, it can also be decided based on actual circumstances: 1. For convenience: The vehicle license can be kept in the car, while the driving license can be carried on the person. 2. From a safety perspective: It is advisable to also keep the vehicle license on your person to prevent personal information leakage in case the vehicle is stolen and the vehicle license is lost. Relevant information about driving license and vehicle license is as follows: 1. Driving License (full name: Motor Vehicle Driving License): Also known as a "driver's license," it is a document issued by the government transportation department to individuals qualified to drive, usually in the form of a card. 2. Vehicle License: It is the legal document permitting a motor vehicle to drive on roads within China, consisting of three parts: the license holder, the main page, and the supplementary page. The front of the main page contains the endorsed certificate core, the back has a photo of the motor vehicle, and the supplementary page contains the endorsed certificate core.
After driving for over a decade, I absolutely hate carrying my driver's license around. Every time I refuel or park, I have to rummage through my bag for ages. Eventually, I just started keeping my license tucked in the sun visor and the vehicle registration in the glove compartment—super convenient! I've been checked by police twice, and I could hand them over instantly without any issues. But my older brother is stubborn; he insists keeping them in the car risks loss. Yet he's so forgetful—just this year, he's had to rush home four times to fetch his documents. Honestly, as long as you don’t leave them on the dashboard like my dad did (they faded from sun exposure), keeping them in the car is the most hassle-free option. Plus, with digital licenses valid now, it’s double insurance anyway.
Last time my bestie got pulled over by traffic police, she rummaged through her bag for ten minutes looking for her documents, sweating from anxiety. I make it a habit to keep both certificates in the document holder fixed in the armrest box—simple and secure. My colleague Old Zhang is quite a character; he bought a waist bag specifically for his documents, but it always sets off the metal detector during security checks. Actually, the traffic police manual clearly states that documents can be kept in the car, but they must be in a fixed location. My bestie has wised up now—she sewed a transparent pocket on the back of the passenger seat and makes sure to tuck them back in before getting out. The key is to develop a habit—it doesn't matter where you put them, but never follow my husband's example of tossing them randomly on the back seat. Last time during a car wash, they almost got sucked up by the vacuum cleaner!
When I first started driving, I used to keep both licenses in my wallet. Once my wallet got stolen, and I was completely stunned. Later, my mentor taught me: the vehicle license must stay with the car—it's a written rule! The driver's license should be carried on your person, but keeping it in the car isn't a violation. Now, I always slip my driver's license into my phone case—it's so thin I don't even feel it. As for the vehicle license, I tuck it under the driver's seat in a waterproof bag. During a random check once, the officer even complimented me on how smoothly I produced my documents. The only thing to watch out for is not to hide it too well. A friend of mine stashed his in the spare tire and almost threw it away as scrap paper during a tire change.
