““People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.””
— Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

That quote perfectly sums up my relationship with tire marks and polarizing filters. Using a polarizer is usually an afterthought for me, and it shouldn’t be. That’s especially true nowadays, where tire marks generated during pre-impact braking are often subtle due to ABS intervention.

ABS manipulates wheel slip to maximize braking forces and maintain steerability. To do so, most systems hold/release between 10 and 30% (Aly, et al.). That’s great for control but doesn’t create blatant marks like a locked tire (100% slip). Polarizers can help identify and document ABS tire marks.

I went around town slamming the brakes of my Tundra yesterday to create some subtle tire marks to photograph with and without a polarizer. Interestingly, the polarizer only slightly increased visibility during these tests. See the images below (note: the tire mark may be too subtle to see here. Click here for the full-size image).

The left image was taken without a polarizer and the right with a polarizer.

However, on the same road, at the same time, there was a set of skid marks that was almost invisible without a polarizing filter, but really popped with one. Check these bad boys out (video below).


Bottom line, IMHO, it’s important to have a polarizing filter (and probably sunglasses) in your kit to help identify and document tire marks. Sometimes the filter will help a little and sometimes it will help a lot, but there’s only one way to know…

Thanks for reading, keep exploring!

Lou Peck
​Lightpoint | Axiom