Experimental studies on identification of the driver based on STR analysis

Identification of the driver based on STR analysis at a crime scene or following a traffic accident would be of enormous assistance in criminal investigation. We performed STR analysis on samples obtained from parts of a car; the steering wheel, the gear lever, the handbrake lever, the indicator lever and the door handle, with a view to obtaining DNA profiles of the owner and any another person who had driven the car just before sampling. As a result, it was found that a cotton swab is suitable for sample collection and that STR analysis of samples from a car, especially from the entire steering wheel, makes it possible to identify of the driver. We conclude that this method is very useful for crime scene investigation, even when the person who had touched the parts of a car had driven only briefly with bare hands.