If your car is broken into – or worse, stolen – you are likely to worry first about repairing or reclaiming the car itself, and then you will turn your concern to anything you might have left inside it – your cell phone and iPod, for example, or your laptop, but that's all you have to be concerned about, right?

Wrong.

In addition to risk of losing your belongings when you leave them in your car, you are putting yourself at risk of losing your identity, and not just when your car is stolen, either, but even just if you leave it parked with a window cracked open and a pile of papers on the front seat.

Numbers haven't been published for the United States yet, but a British insurance company, Direct Line, found that about 10% of the parked cars they surveyed had sensitive documents – bills, bank statements and the like – lying in the open, and another 12% also had more than $600 worth of valuables sitting on the seats.

Car owners were also questioned as part of Direct Line's study, and the results were surprising: 7% of them said they forget to clear their car seats when they leave their car, and 6% confessed to leaving their cars unlocked.

A spokesperson for Direct Line, Jennifer Culley, told reporters, "Car owners need to think twice before they lock up and walk away from their vehicles to ensure they are not leaving valuables or sensitive documents on display."

She went on to add, "With the rise in cases of identity fraud in recent years, motorists should avoid giving thieves opportunities to obtain personal details that can be found on bills, bank statements and letters."

Protect your belongings and your identity when you leave your car – stow it, don't show it – and always check to make sure your doors are locked. Your insurance agent may not thank you, but if you ever have a claim, you'll minimize the chance of losing your identity along with your vehicle.