Playbooks

Beginner · short stepsExpert · spec · code · mm

Pick the situation. Read the left column. Say that at the window.

Twelve owner scenarios. Beginner script + genius measurements. SaferCar patterns — not a pirated TSB book.

WhoAudience: Owners in a named jam — brakes, noise, a light, a quote.Anyone who wants both altitudes on one card.
ClickControl: A playbook card. Then the beginner script.Playbook → steps. TSB desk and counter card live next door.
SayCounter: The left-column sentence. Then ask for the number on the right.Measurement first. Campaign lookup second. Parts last.

Playbooks · Claim · Claim / file

The folder that actually supports a claim

Insurance claim photos after a hit

Adjusters pay from photos they can read. Wide for context, medium for the panel, close with a coin for depth. VIN, cluster, and the damage you are not claiming. Then get off the live lane.

You were hit, or you hit something. Everyone is fine enough to hold a phone. This is the 20-minute folder before the wrecker and before the other driver leaves.

Beginner steps

What you do

0 / 5 beginner steps

01Safety first, then the phoneHazards, triangles if you have them, people out of the travel lane. Photos are not worth a second hit. If you cannot stand off the road, wait for the officer and shoot from the shoulder only.Say: I am moving to the shoulder. I will photograph from a safe place.
02Four corners, four sides, the sceneInclude the ground, a bit of the lane, lights, and the other vehicle’s plate if you can do it without standing in traffic. Wide first. Nobody believes a cropped bumper.Say: I am shooting the whole car and the scene, not just my scratch.
03VIN, door sticker, cluster, plateThe car on the claim is this car. Cluster with ignition on — miles and airbag lamps. Photo the other driver’s insurance card if they will hold it. Do not argue. Document.Say: I need a photo of your card and the plate. I will send you mine.
04Damage: wide, medium, close with scaleWhole end or side. One panel. Then a coin or tape in the crease, camera perpendicular. Adjacent undamaged panel in the same light — that is the blend argument later.Say: I am shooting depth with a coin in the frame. I will not crop the gap.
05Prior damage you are not claimingPhoto it and say so in the filename. Honesty now vs a denial later. Undercarriage only if the car is safe to see — not under a live lane.Say: This scrape on the other corner is old. I am photographing it so it is not on this loss.

Do not

Do not stand in a live lane for a hero shot.
Do not admit fault on the recording as a strategy. Document. Your carrier can talk.
Do not let the car leave without the VIN and cluster photos if you can still reach them safely.

Expert notes

What the number means

SRS after a hit · lamp / bag
A deployed bag or a lamp after the crash is a restraint claim, not a “just a bumper.” Photo the interior wide, then the bag. Do not sit in a car with a live unused Takata recall if you have another ride — run the VIN later on SaferCar.
Repair vs total · $ vs ACV
Insurers compare repair cost plus salvage math to actual cash value. You cannot win that argument with adjectives. You can give them a complete photo set and a VIN so they are not guessing the options.
Filenames · YYYY-MM-DD
YYYY-MM-DD-corner-wide. Phone cameras lie about order in a cloud dump. A consistent name is the file. The jobs claims desk keeps a checklist.

Open a live desk

Related patterns

Common failures by symptom. SaferCar pointers — not pirated TSB PDFs.

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