Research Studies & Reports
DMV’s Research & Development Branch has been conducting research and producing studies and reports since the 1950s. Research & Development reports help DMV to measure the impact of new laws on making drivers safer. We also identify areas where we can improve our processes, explore new approaches to solving existing problems, and branch out into new opportunities to serve you better.
Studies & Reports Sections
Studies and reports are assigned to a Section that best describes the type of report. Click on a section title below to see a short description.
I. Driver Education & Training Studies
II. Driver Licensing Screening Studies
III. Studies on Improvement and Control of Deviant Drivers
IV. Basic Research & Methodological Studies: Driver Performance, Accident Etiology, Prediction Models, and Actuarial Applications
V. Driver Licensing / Control Systems & Safety Management Studies
VI. Studies on Special Driver Populations
VII. Miscellaneous Studies & Reports
Request printed copies of studies and reports by mail at:
Department of Motor Vehicles
Research and Development Branch
2415 1st Ave. Mail Station: F-126
Sacramento, CA 95818
(916) 914-8125
Please include the report number, the number of copies requested, and your name, address, and phone number.
| Report ID | Date Published | Title | Section | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRN024, NRN025, NRN026, NRN027, NRN028, NRN029, NRN030 | 2020/ 04 |
Post Licensing Control Reporting and Evaluation System (PLCRES): Negligent Operator Program Costs and EffectivenessTo implement and maintain an automated on-line evaluation system tor monitoring the effectiveness of negligent-operator programs. |
III | |
| NRN007 | 1983/ 06 |
Pilot Test of the Written Words and Phrases TestTo evaluate the written Words and Phrases Test (DL-140) and provide test and item statistics. |
II | |
| NRN032 | 1986/ 12 |
Pilot Test of Four Written Driver License Knowledge TestsTo provide technical assistance to the Division of Headquarters Operations in pilot testing four of the Department's written driver license examinations and to provide test and item statistics. |
III | |
| 245 | 2013/ 11 |
PILOT STUDY OF A “HOT LIST” FOR THE SPECIFIC ENFORCEMENT OF REPEAT DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OFFENDERS WITH SUSPENDED OR REVOKED LICENSES: PROCESS EVALUATIONRepeat driving under the influence of alcohol or drug (DUI) offenders in California comprised 24.1% of all drivers involved in alcohol- or drug-related fatal crashes and 62.2% of those involved in alcohol- or drug-related injury crashes during 2010. Most DUI-prevention law enforcement operations (e.g., sobriety checkpoints) are intended to reduce DUI among the general driving population (i.e., general deterrence). Targeted enforcement efforts (i.e., specific deterrence) aimed at monitoring and ensuring DUI sanction and driver license action compliance among repeat DUI offenders has the potential to reduce their recidivism. The California Department of Motor Vehicles provided 15 law enforcement agencies with bimonthly “Hot Lists” of the driver license numbers of all suspended or revoked multiple DUI offenders for their use in conducting interventions for reducing driving and DUI recidivism among these offenders. This report summarizes the various enforcement processes and levels of commitment to using the lists, describes several barriers identified, and discusses problems in general associated with conducting targeted enforcement efforts. Hot List activities during the first year included 174 stops of offenders’ vehicles, 308 in-person checks of offenders’ compliances with probation requirements, 469 mailings of letters to offenders warning them not to drive, and 258 stakeouts of offenders at bars, residences, courts, or other locations. These activities resulted in 115 citations for driving on a suspended/revoked license, 129 vehicle impoundments, 23 DUI arrests, and 53 arrests for other reasons. The analysis identified barriers that contributed to limited use of the lists by some participating agencies—most resulting from funding constraints, officer training deficiencies, and the time and effort needed to verify requisite offender identities and residence addresses—and several tools and strategies that were developed by some agencies to more effectively use the Hot Lists. Recommendations are made for improving the dissemination and use of the Hot List, and for improving the reporting of Hot List-related activity |
VI | |
| IM1 | 1993/ 09 |
Pilot of the Driving Performance EvaluationTo determine the consistency of the test examiners in scoring the Driving Performance Evaluation (DPE) drive test. |
II | |
| 213 | 2005/ 03 |
PILOT EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH TO HIGH-RISK ELDERLY DRIVERSOver 40,000 Class 3 drivers aged 70 or more who had some traffic incidents on their driving records, but not so many as to make them "negligent operators" under California law, were randomly divided into four groups. One group received educational material (pamphlets, brochures) relating to older driver traffic safety, a resource list of Internet addresses and phone numbers for driving- or elder-oriented organizations, a questionnaire, and a cover letter. A second received only the resource list, questionnaire, and cover letter, while a third received the questionnaire and cover letter, and the fourth was not contacted in any way. There was no significant effect on either subsequent crashes or traffic convictions as a function of the amount of material sent. For the questionnaire, group return rates ranged from 43% to 62%, and several differences were found among the respondents consistent with greater knowledge among those who were sent the educational material. The report ends with a discussion of lessons learned with respect to surveying people—and elderly people specifically—and includes voluminous appendices containing, in part, much of the educational material, the resource list, a presentation of respondent group attitudes toward DMV, and illustrative pages from DMV's new Senior Web Site. |
VI | |
| 42 | 1973/ 05 |
Physically Handicapped Drivers: A Comparative Study of Driver RecordsThis study was conducted at the request of California State Assemblyman John P. Quimby, who was interested in the driving record of handicapped persons with loss of, or limited control of, one or more of their limbs. This study was expected to be useful in evaluating California's driver licensing policy and in providing some guidance to insurance companies in establishing premiums for handicapped drivers. California's policy has been to license physically handicapped persons who meet the same standards on the written and on-road examinations as non-handicapped persons. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not handicapped drivers have accident records different from those of non-handicapped drivers, and consequently, whether there is any basis for differential licensing standards or insurance premiums. |
VI | |
| 170 | 1997/ 07 |
P&M Telephone Hearing StudyDriver Safety memo DS-92-96, dated June 29, 1992, has resulted in departmental reexaminations, hearings, and interviews, all formerly held in-person, to be held through a combination of in-person and telephone contacts. Telephone contacts are considered by some to be more cost effective than in-person contacts, but have been criticized as affording individuals the opportunity to hide serious impairments from visual observation. In-person contacts are still required in cases of mild dementia, and when individuals request them, so many such contacts still occur. |
VI | |
| NRN006 | 1976/ 06 |
Oral Testing of Driver’s License ApplicantsTo gather information about several potential test modes which could be used with illiterate applicants and which would serve an instructional purpose without putting a premium on verbal ability. |
II | |
| NRN094 | 1986/ 04 |
Operational Efficiency of Field Offices with Extended Office HoursTo evaluate the impact of extended office hours on DMV field office productivity and quality of work. |
VII |