Why Your Car Should Have a Pen & Notebook in the Glove Box

A pen and a notepad are the two things that every car glove box should contain and most don’t.

It is not something people give much thought too with all the other distractions in today’s hectic world.

Pen Notebook Car Glove Box

 

Three reasons to carry a pen and notebook in the car?

1 If you are unfortunate enough to be involved in a car accident regardless
of if you are at fault or not you will need to at least exchange details. The more prudent among us would also take notes of the time of day, the other cars registration number, the road name and direction they were travelling in and any witnesses contact details etc.

2. If you get lost and need to ask for directions one mile down the road did they say take the second or third exit at the roundabout. Sure you can rely on the cars Satellite Navigation System if you have one but what if the road is closed and the damn thing keeps bringing you back to the same point in a strange city. (Trust me I still have nightmares over a bad afternoon in Birmingham a couple of years ago).

3. You are in the local supermarket car park putting the shopping in the car and run into an old school friend that you have lost touch with. You are really pleased to see them and want to swap contact details.

The choice of pen is also important.

Any pen is better than no pen at all but the main reason that you are carrying a pen and notebook is in case of emergency or the unexpected. So the choice of pen has to be one that is ultra-reliable and will write in all conditions.

Uni SN 220 Powertank Black

I personally carry a Uni- Ball Power Tank which is a fantastic pen for this purpose it has a pressurised refill that allows it to write in extreme conditions. The Power Tank will write in temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius, horizontally
and upside down as well as on wet paper. It will even write in outer space just in case you have an extraterrestrial encounter.

Another option is to carry a Fisher Space Pen but these are a lot more expensive and are they really worth the cost. If you would like to see what we think read our comparison review The Uni-ball Power Tank: Better than the Fisher Space
Pen?

Fisher SP BS Chrome Main

If you carry a pen and notebook in your glove box or if you can think of any other reasons why it is a good idea we would love to hear from you.

Photo of author

Peter Warrior: Pen & Pencil Expert

With nearly a decade of experience in the pen industry, I successfully ran an online pen business for 9 years. My deep-rooted passion for pens and pencils led me to become a part-time blogger, where I've dedicated myself to sharing the wealth of knowledge I've amassed over the years. I'm a firm believer in the power of the written word, as echoed by Malcolm Forbes: "Putting pen to paper lights more fire than matches ever will." My expertise is not just rooted in business, but in the genuine appreciation and understanding of the art of writing instruments.

7 thoughts on “Why Your Car Should Have a Pen & Notebook in the Glove Box”

  1. Hi Tom

    Thats a great idea for working out what your petrol costs are. In the UK it is a bit confusing because we still refer to miles, and miles per a gallon but the petrol is sold in litres at the pumps. So a little bit more maths is needed.

    Reply
  2. Sorry, I just realized that your from the UK. I should have said “petrol”, “kilometres”, and “litres”, right? No matter, I’m sure you understand my meaning.

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  3. My parents (and now I) keep a notepad and pen in the map pocket of our cars. We use this to track our mileage between fillups, and I personally use it to track gas prices as well. Simply reset the trip odometer every time you fill up, and fill the tank completely every time, then write down miles driven and gallons added.

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  4. I have to confess Joni that I cleaned it out first to take the picture. I believe that you are hosting the next Carnival of Pens over at Daydreamers Welcome; I really enjoy the carnivals and I am looking forward to seeing it.

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  5. Wow. I’ve never seen such a clean glovebox. Mine is JAMMED with stuff but, it does contain a pad of paper and a pen – IF you can find it…

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  6. Hi Sam the Tombow Airpress looks like a pen that you can really get hold of, I am not that familiar yet with the Tombow range. I was really interested to see that the refill is not pressurised and enough pressure can be produced by pressing the tip to pressurise the refill.

    Even though I am not a professional writer I also like to keep a notebook handy to jot down my thoughts as you rightly point out you never know when inspiration will strike.

    Reply
  7. As a writer, I’m never without a notebook and pen and have a spare one in the glove box of my car, just in case. It’s amazing how often inspiration strikes when I’m parked up somehwere, waiting for family members usually.

    My pen of choice at the moment is a Tombow Airpress ballpoint. Similar in purpose to the Uni Ball Powertank (which I also own), it has the added advantage of producing comparable results to the Powertank with a standard (non=pressurised) refill; the pressurisation being achivieved by pressing the button on the back end of the pen.

    Reply

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