Tyre marks and Skid marks

A forensic investigation is a practice of lawfully establishing evidence and the

facts of the crime and the crime scene that are to present in a court of law.
There are many types of shreds of evidence found in a crime scene. These are
biological (tissue, bodily fluids, etc.), chemical (drugs, poison, etc.), tools and
weapons (arms, knife, etc.), impression and pattern (fingerprint, bullet holes,
etc.) and trace evidence (fibre, paint, etc.). Impression and pattern are such
pieces of evidence that are divided into two subtypes 2D and 3D. 2D evidence
includes fingerprints, footprints, tire marks, blood spatter, etc. and 3D evidence
includes extractor marks, shoeprints, bullet holes, etc.
Tire marks are significant in the forensic investigation as with other pattern and
impression evidence found in a crime scene such as fingerprints or shoeprints,
etc. There are many crimes in which vehicles used because its an easy way to
reach the crime scene and escape.  The cars also provide security and secrecy to
the criminal.  
Following the Locard’s exchange the principle, even the vehicle leaves their tire
impressions which are the general marks or impressions left by the tires of a car,
exclusive of the tread design and include track width, wheelbase, turning radius,
and the relative positions of the tracks of all tires.
There are different types of tire marks. These are,

a) Scuff Marks: Refers to the tire marks made by a rotating or yawning vehicle,
a vehicle acceleration, or a flat tire.

b) Yaw Marks: These tire marks are made by a tire that is turning and sliding
sideways parallel to tank wheel’s axle, and also referred to as sideslip or a
critical speed scuff marks.
c) Skid Marks: These impressions of tire made by a locked wheel caused by the
application of the brakes.

d) Print Marks:  Tire marks that are made by the rolling tire are called print
marks.

e) Scrub Marks: When a wheel locked due to damage, then this kind of tire
marks are left by the vehicle.

The tire marks present at the scene of a crime, can reveal a lot about the vehicle
and also helps to recreate the modus operandi at times. At the time of collection
of tire marks or impressions from the crime scene, it classified into three
categories. The first category of tire mark is a visible print which is can be seen
by a naked eye and can collect through photography. The second category
referred to as a plastic print which is 3-Dimensional and can collect by making a
cast of the print by using powdered stone such as dental stone and water. It can
use as when the mixture dries a 3D impression of the tire formed. The last
category of the tire impression or mark is latent prints that are not visible to the
naked eye and found on flat surfaces like sidewalks, roads, or driveways. To
collect this type of impression, an electrostatic and a gelatin lifter dust print
lifting device used. After the collection, these impressions must preserve
adequately to avoid contamination as it’s an essential piece of evidence of the
crime.

Tire mark or impression is vital evidence like other pieces of evidence. Tire
track marks or impressions leave behind a unique pattern. People rely heavily
on vehicles for transportation. It leads to some involvement of vehicles with the
crime or the criminals themselves and creates a bridge between the crime and
criminal. So, in crime scenes tires are likely to leave pattern or impression
evidence. A tire manufactured using natural and synthetic rubber with different
tread patterns. They acquire many characteristics like cuts, holes, etc. So, the
tire marks are highly informative regarding the crime and the criminal.

Tire track impressions can help narrow down, the brand, style, and size since
different manufacturers produce different kinds of tires patterns. Tire
impressions can attempt to match through searchable databases which help an
investigator to determine crime-related facts and evidence. It also helps in the
identification of the perpetrator. But, with some positives, there are negatives as
well. There were some arguments on the validation and reliability of tire marks
as evidence. At Aaron Hernandez trial proceedings, the defence lawyer, argued
that tire track evidence is mostly subjective as many people may have the same
vehicle which may with the same sized tire and same design. In that
perspective, forensic experts prove that it is difficult for two vehicles to leave
the same tire mark in one place because as the tires used, the wear and tear on
the tire change the marks pattern of the tire. This change leads to a unique
pattern that can help in the crime scene investigation. Tire marks are an
essential part of a study of accident cases as each target creates specific action
of the vehicle. What the driver of the vehicle did or attempted to do before and
after the collision can be evaluated by investigating the tire mark or impression.
A point-of-impact or an area-of-impact can be determined by the tire mark,
which is very important in criminal cases, especially in accident cases. Since the
vehicles travelling at various speeds will show different types of skid marks for
which there are different speed calculation formulas according to the types of
tire marks. This speed calculation can also form a proper interpretation of the
facts of the case. Understanding and identifying the tire marks lead to more
points and evidence in a crime scene which helps to solve the case and
determine the perpetrator.
There are many cases in which the importance of tire marks can see.
In Brown vs the state of Georgia, Brown convicted under two counts of
aggravated assault. Brown appeals that there was insufficient evidence to
convict him. But in a trial, footprint and tire track report was presented to the
court against him, which is admissible evidence. The result of that, the court
affirmed the judgment against Brown.

There was another case written in the crime scene journal, which was an
excellent example of the importance of tire impression evidence. In July 1990 in
Florida, a homicide took place. During the investigation, detectives collected
shoeprints and tire marks found in the crime scene. The analyst identifies the
brand, size of the tires, and make of vehicles on which those tires could found.
With the help of that report, the detective identifies the vehicle and sent it to the
FDLE crime lab for comparison of the tires. In the testing report, a decisive
match found. Based on this, criminal found, and he confessed the crime during
interrogation. He was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced
punishment according to the justice system of the state.
Taking of control samples:
Examiners use several methods for collecting footwear and tire track evidence
depending on the type of impression found. For impressions in soil, snow or
other soft surfaces, casting is the most commonly used collection method. For
imprints, examiners generally try to collect the entire object containing the
imprint, such as a whole sheet of paper or cardboard with a shoe print. When
that is not possible, for instance, if the print is on a bank counter, the examiner
would use a lifting technique to transfer the imprint to a medium that can be
sent to the laboratory.
Properly photographing impressions is crucial.r
As with any evidence found at a crime scene, shoeprints and tire tracks must
be properly documented, collected and preserved in order to maintain the
integrity of the evidence. Impression evidence is easily damaged, so steps
must be taken to avoid damage to the evidence. This includes securing and
documenting the scene prior to collecting any evidence.

In the case of impression evidence, general photographs of the evidence

location in relation to the rest of the scene are taken, along with high-
resolution images of the individual imprints or impressions. Examiners may
use alternate light sources or chemical enhancers to capture as much detail as
possible, especially with latent imprints.

Properly photographing impressions is crucial. Since there is only a slight

difference between different shoe sizes, if the photographs are not taken at a
90° angle to the impression, then the true size cannot be produced in order to
compare to the actual shoe.

Whenever possible, impression evidence is collected as is and submitted to

the laboratory for examination. For shoeprints and tire tracks that cannot be
picked up, various lifting techniques are used to recover the evidence. These
include:

• Adhesive lifter - a heavy coating of adhesive lifts the imprint from smooth,
non-delicate surfaces such as tile or hardwood floors, metal counters, etc. It is
usually used in conjunction with fingerprint powders.
• Gelatin lifter - a sheet of rubber with a low-adhesive gelatin layer on one
side that can lift prints from almost any surface, including porous, rough,
curved and textured surfaces. It is less tacky and more flexible than an
adhesive lifter, allowing it to pick up a dusty shoeprint on a cardboard box, for
example, but not tear the surface of the box.
• Electrostatic dust-print lifting device - a tool that electrostatically charges
particles within dust or light soil, which are then attracted and bonded to a
lifting film. This method is best for collecting dry or dusty residue impressions
on almost any surface, even the skin of a cadaver.
Any plastic, or three-dimensional, footwear or tire impressions can be
collected by casting. Casting uses a powdered stone material, such as dental
stone, that can be mixed with water and poured into the impression. When it
dries, this method creates a three-dimensional model of the impression.
Imprints and impressions may be further processed to enhance or bring out
additional minute details. For example, a digital enhancement program such
as Adobe Photoshop® can be used to improve the quality of a photographed
tire track. Fingerprint powders and chemical stains or dyes can enhance
image colour or increase the contrast against the background. This enables
lifted or casted evidence to be photographed or scanned.

A faint bloody shoe print on linoleum is enhanced by treatment with a chemical, BLUESTAR®, to allow a more
detailed photograph to be taken of the evidence.

Comparison samples are usually taken from suspects or suspect vehicles. Shoe
samples should be packaged to avoid cross-contamination and tire samples
should remain on the vehicle.

A reference print from a tire is captured by inking the tire and driving over paper.
Who Conducts the Analysis
Evaluation and comparison of impression evidence should be performed by a
well-trained footwear and tire track examiner. Typically, these professionals
have received extensive training on footwear and tire manufacturing,
evidence detection, recovery, handling and examination procedures,
laboratory and photography equipment and procedures, courtroom testimony
and legal issues, and casework.

How and Where the Analysis is Performed

Detection, documentation, photography, and collection of imprints and
impressions occur in relation to crime scenes of many types. Analysis of
impression evidence is typically performed at a public crime laboratory or
private laboratory by experienced examiners.

Evidence Submission and Examination

Ideally, the suspect’s shoes and/or tires are submitted to the lab along with
the collected evidence. Examiners will use the submitted shoes and/or tires to
make test standards, impressions of a known source, which can then be
compared to the collected evidence. This is usually done using transparency
overlays or side-by-side comparisons.

For example, in a case from Florida, a bloody shoe print was found on the
carpet in the home of a murder victim. The print indicated that there was a
hole in the shoe that left the print. Investigators collected and made test prints
of the shoes from individuals known to be at the scene near the time of the
murder. Footwear examiners were able to identify the perpetrator by
overlaying the bloody shoeprint from the crime scene with the test print made
from the suspect’s shoe.

In some cases, an investigator may be asked to submit shoes or tires of other

individuals for exclusion purposes, such as from a cohabitant of a home or
from a first responder to a crime scene.
Tools and Techniques

During the examination and comparison, examiners use tools such as dividers,
calipers, special lighting and low magnification. Examiners measure the
various elements within the tread design as well as the length and width of
the impressions, and then compare those measurements to what is seen in the
crime scene print or impressions. Low magnification and special lighting are
sometimes used to determine if various characteristics are accidental or
something that was created during the manufacturing process.

Examiners perform side-by-side comparisons by placing the known shoe or

tire alongside the crime scene print so that corresponding areas can be
examined. Test prints are also compared to the crime scene print. Digital
images on double or triple computer monitors can also be used during the
comparison.