A data collection of vehicle topcoat colours. 3. Practical considerations for using a national database

Abstract An assessment was made of the usefulness of microspectrophotometry for identifying unknown automobile paint samples derived from hit and run accidents. This was achieved by measuring the tristimulus values of a collection of paint samples from 98 vehicles. These values were then compared with similar colorimetric data from a reference collection of standard coloured squares. Close agreement between casework samples and the reference collection was obtained provided the casework samples were cleaned by gentle polishing prior to measurement. Errors associated with the technique were investigated and expressed objectively by means of colour difference units.