GuidesDashcam Evidence for Pothole Claims

Dashcam Evidence for Pothole Claims

Preserve original dashcam footage and metadata, export useful copies and photograph road damage without creating another danger.

7 min read
Published: 19 July 2026
Updated 19 July 2026
Last reviewed: 19 July 2026
Reviewed for England and Wales
Content owner: Elevyn Technology Group Limited editorial team
Sources:GOV.UK digital imaging procedureThe Highway Code: motorway stoppingThe Highway Code: breakdowns
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At a glance

Answer first
Preserve the original dashcam file and its metadata before making clips, screenshots or compressed copies.
Safety first
Never stop or walk on a motorway or live carriageway to photograph a defect.
Explain the clock
If the camera time, date or time zone is wrong, record the known offset rather than altering the original.

Step-by-Step Guide

1

Protect the recording before it loops

Stop the dashcam from overwriting the incident if the device allows this safely. Export the complete incident sequence in its native format, including the approach and aftermath, and keep the original memory card unchanged where practical.
2

Keep one master and one working copy

Store the exported original securely and do not edit it. Make a separate copy for trimming, screenshots or sharing. Retain filenames, folder structure and sidecar files because they may carry time, GPS or device metadata.
3

Write a short provenance note

Record the device, vehicle, export date, person exporting, original filename, known clock offset and storage location. A file hash can help demonstrate that a later copy is unchanged, but it does not prove what the footage depicts.

What useful footage can show

  • direction of travel and surrounding landmarks;
  • traffic, weather and visibility around the incident;
  • the vehicle’s approach and immediate reaction;
  • a time sequence that can be compared with recovery and repair records.

Keep the inference modest

Footage may help identify location and sequence. It does not by itself establish a pothole's dimensions, how long it existed, what an authority knew or legal liability.

Safe road and vehicle photographs

Photograph the vehicle damage after reaching a safe place. For a defect, use images only if they can be taken lawfully from an existing safe position away from moving traffic. Do not enter the road, obstruct traffic or ask another person to stand in danger.

Link to existing depth on context, scale and location photographs rather than relying on one close-up image.

Scope and legal boundary

Fixtyer prepares documents and is not a law firm. It provides general information, not legal advice or representation, and does not promise liability, notice, claim success or defeat of a Section 58 defence. FixMyStreet reports are leads to verify, not proof of notice.

This guidance covers England and Wales. Welsh Government manages motorways and trunk roads in Wales; local authorities manage other Welsh local roads. DfT council ratings cover England only and must not be applied to Wales.

Do not stop on a motorway or live carriageway to take photographs. Protect people before collecting evidence and use an existing safe place away from moving traffic.

Related resources: council reports, the England-only ratings dataset, and the free eligibility journey.

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