Five Minutes of Photographs, Months of Argument Saved

Nearly every disputed claim we see comes down to what can be proved about a moment that lasted two seconds. Your phone is the cheapest evidence-gathering tool ever built. Use it methodically rather than randomly, because a folder of forty close-ups of one dent proves less than twelve deliberate photographs.

Work outward, in this order

1. Wide shots of the whole scene from four directions, taken from far enough back that both vehicles, the lane markings and the surroundings are in one frame. These are the photos that establish where everything was, and they are the ones people skip.
2. Each vehicle in full, all four corners, including the undamaged sides. Undamaged sides matter later when someone claims damage that was not there.
3. The damage close up, with something in frame for scale.
4. Both license plates, clearly legible.
5. The other driver's documents: license, insurance card, registration. Photograph them rather than copying them by hand — handwriting errors are a real problem later.
6. The VIN of the other vehicle, visible through the windshield. This is the identifier that cannot be mistyped or misremembered.

The three most people forget

The road itself. Skid marks, debris fields, fluid trails and where the glass landed. These fade or get swept within hours and they tell an investigator about direction and speed.

Signals, signs and sightlines. The stop sign hidden by an overgrown branch, the signal phase, the faded lane line, the parked truck blocking the view. Photograph what a driver could and could not see from each approach.

Conditions. Weather, standing water, low sun in the eyes, a dark stretch with a broken streetlight. Include a shot with the time visible if you can.

Also capture

• Anything inside the vehicles that moved or broke, including deployed airbags.
• Visible injuries, with permission, and photograph again over the following days.
• Any camera you can see nearby: a shopfront, a doorbell, a bus. Note the address so someone can request the footage before it is overwritten, which often happens within days.
• A short video walking around the scene while describing what you see out loud. It captures things you did not consciously notice.

Then back it up

Before you leave, make sure the photographs have uploaded somewhere that is not just the phone. Phones get lost, and this is the one file you cannot recreate.

What not to do

Do not block traffic to get a shot, do not photograph anyone who objects, and do not post any of it publicly. Evidence you have shared with the internet is evidence that has been edited by the internet's reaction to it.

If your coverage has not been reviewed lately, the calm afternoon before a crash is the right time.