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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 142 | 1994/ 01 |
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DRUG ARRESTS AND DRIVING RISKThis study compared the driving records of 106,214 persons arrested for drug offenses in 1989 with 41,493 comparison drivers drawn from the general driving population. The drug arrestees were grouped according to the six summary offense categories used by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which were felony narcotics, marijuana, dangerous drugs, and other drugs, and misdemeanor marijuana and other drugs. Time periods examined were 1 year pre-arrest, 1 year post-arrest and 2 years post-arrest. Each drug arrestee group had significantly more traffic violations and total accidents than the control group, except for 2 year post-arrest accidents for the felony narcotics group. Measures of accident culpability showed drug arrestees to be more responsible for the accidents in which they were involved than was the general driving population. Individuals arrested for drug offenses clearly pose an elevated traffic safety risk. These findings provide a public safety justification for state and federal initiatives designed to institute driver licensing actions against drug offenders, and support for the implementation of Public Law 101-516 in California. |
V | |
| NRN061 | 1994/ 01 |
Quantifying the Net Accident Contribution of Convicted DUI Repeaters: Some Methodological Issues and Preliminary FindingsTo quantify the role of convicted DUI offenders as a traffic safety problem. |
IV | |
| NRN084 | 1994/ 01 |
Psychometric and Biographical Correlates of Drunk Driving Recidivism & Treatment Program ComplianceTo identify variables which differentiate DUI offenders who recidivate from those who do not and to also identify correlates of treatment program compliance. |
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 | |
| 141 | 1993/ 09 |
Teen and Senior Drivers – Report 141This report updates information on teen and senior drivers published in earlier California Department of Motor Vehicles' reports. Teen Driver Facts (Huston, 1986), Senior Driver Facts (Huston & Janke, 1986), and Teen and Senior Drivers (romanowicz & Gebers, 1990). The information is meant to assist Highway safety administrators in making program and policy decisions affecting teen and senior drivers, and may also be of use to the insurance industry, traffic safety researchers, and the general public. The report also summarizes research on risk-taking and alcohol consumption among teen drivers and on the increase in impairment of driving-related abilities among senior driers. Countermeasures for teen and senior drivers are also discussed. |
VI | |
| NRN035 | 1993/ 07 |
Using Traffic Violator School Citation Dismissals in Addition to Convictions as the Basis for Applying Postlicense Control ActionsTo determine whether TVS dismissals should be used, along with negligent operator (neg-op) points, in selecting drivers for level 3 license control action (suspension and probation). Implicit in this objective is the fact that any change in policy (or law) that would include TVS dismissals in triggering license control actions would be expected to produce a corresponding increase in the number of neg-op interventions. It is argued that any group of drivers whose accident expectancy (average accident rate) exceeds that of prima facie negligent (level 3) drivers is a legitimate target group for such actions. |
III | |
| 138 | 1993/ 01 |
1993 Annual Report of the California DUI Management Information SystemTo continue the publication of a yearly comprehensive data and monitoring system (or management information system) to provide measures of DUI system performance. |
V | |
| NRN058 | 1993/ 01 |
The Identification of Multiple Accident Correlates in High Risk Drivers with Specific Emphasis on the Role of Age, Experience & Prior Traffic Violation FrequencyTo summarize the state of current knowledge on multiple risk factors among driver accident correlates. |
IV | |
| NRN059 | 1993/ 01 |
Strengths and Limitations of Accident Data in a Drivers License SettingTo elucidate for the transportation research community the importance and limitations of using accident data in making driver licensing decisions. |
IV | |
| NRN060 | 1993/ 01 |
New Technology for an Old Problem: A Report on a Prospective Study to Evaluate a Simulator-Based Approach to Driver LicensingTo develop and present a cooperative strategy and research design for evaluating the use of the Atari Games Corporation (AGC) interactive simulator as an adjunct to traditional driver license road testing. |
IV |