What are skid marks?

What are skid marks?

• A. Marks left by brakes on the road.
• B. Tire marks in parallel striation in which tires did not rotate.
• C. Random tire scuffs.
• D. Imprints of shoe prints.

Answer: (B)

Skid marks are the marks left on the road when a vehicle’s tires slide across the pavement instead of rolling. This happens when braking hard enough to lock the wheels, causing the tires to skid and rub the surface. The telltale feature is the parallel, straight striations created as the tire’s rubber is dragged along the road without rotation. These marks point along the direction of travel and can stretch from where braking began, helping investigators infer speed and braking behavior at the moment the tires locked. Other options don’t fit because marks from brakes can occur with rolling tires as well, and the distinctive feature of a skid mark is the tires not rotating during contact. Random tire scuffs don’t show the parallel striations, and shoe imprints are from pedestrians, not vehicle tires.

Skid marks are the marks left on the road when a vehicle’s tires slide across the pavement instead of rolling. This happens when braking hard enough to lock the wheels, causing the tires to skid and rub the surface. The telltale feature is the parallel, straight striations created as the tire’s rubber is dragged along the road without rotation. These marks point along the direction of travel and can stretch from where braking began, helping investigators infer speed and braking behavior at the moment the tires locked.

Other options don’t fit because marks from brakes can occur with rolling tires as well, and the distinctive feature of a skid mark is the tires not rotating during contact. Random tire scuffs don’t show the parallel striations, and shoe imprints are from pedestrians, not vehicle tires.