The first ten minutes shape everything.

The minutes immediately after a collision shape every claim that follows. Your insurance settlement, your liability outcome, and even any potential legal action all rest on the evidence you capture in those first moments. Most people forget half of what happened by the time they sit down to fill out a claim form. Documentation prevents that gap.

Steps one and two: safety, then record.

Move to the side of the road if you can. Turn on hazards. Check yourself and passengers for injuries before anything else. Then, the moment you're safe, open HandsUp and start recording. The video and audio capture timestamps, GPS coordinates, and ambient sound — all admissible evidence.

Don't worry about narrating. The camera tells the story. Your job is to walk slowly, hold the camera steady, and let the scene speak for itself. Wide angles establish context; close-ups capture damage.

If you're physically able, keep recording during the entire interaction with the other driver, witnesses, and responding officers. Audio is just as important as video — verbal admissions, threats, or evasions all become part of the record.

Step three: document the scene methodically.

Walk the perimeter of the accident with intention. Capture every vehicle involved from multiple angles. Get the license plates. Photograph any traffic signs, signals, lane markings, road conditions, debris, and skid marks. Damage photos should be both wide and tight — wide for context, tight for detail.

Step four: exchange information calmly.

Get the other driver's name, phone number, address, license number, plate number, and insurance company plus policy number. Keep recording — your tone and theirs is on the record. Do not admit fault or speculate about cause, even casually.

Photograph the other driver's license, registration, and insurance card if it's safe to ask for them. Many drivers won't object to this, especially if the conversation is calm. Even if they refuse, the recording captures the refusal — useful later.

If there are witnesses, ask quickly for their phone numbers. Most won't stick around for police, and your contemporaneous footage of them giving consent to be contacted is far more valuable than a hastily scribbled note.

Step five: connect with a lawyer if needed.

For any accident with injuries, significant property damage, or a driver who's evasive about insurance, tap the HandsUp lawyer network before leaving the scene if possible. A verified attorney in your state can guide your next steps in real time and help protect your claim from day one.

Your evidence is already safe.

Your footage uploads to encrypted cloud storage automatically. Even if your phone is damaged in the collision, the evidence is safe. Even if your battery dies during the call with the lawyer, the upload was already complete.

From the moment you press record to the final settlement, HandsUp acts as the second witness who never forgets. The five-step checklist is just the protocol that makes sure that witness sees everything.