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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93 | 1985/ 03 |
License Extensions for Clean-Record Drivers: A Four-Year Follow-UpTo evaluate the traffic safety effect of extending driver licenses by mail for drivers with clean prior four-year records. |
II | |
| 53 | 1975/ 09 |
Language Survey – Summary Report of a Statewide Field Office Survey Taken to Determine Language Characteristics of Non-English SpeakingTo conduct a survey to determine the number of non-English-speaking persons attempting to utilize services provided at DMV facilities. |
VII | |
| 147 | 1995/ 02 |
Knowledge and Attitude Change and the Relationship to Driving Performance Among Drivers Attending California Traffic Violator School.One of the primary goals of the traffic violator school (TVS) program is to improve knowledge and attitudes toward traffic safety issues among drivers cited for traffic violations. While the TVS curriculum is standard for all courses, the courses may differ in content emphasis and other factors. Among the specific characteristics on which TVS programs differ are comedy versus non-comedy presentation modes, public versus private ownership, and use of advertising inducements. The present study examined how these d ifferences may influence t he amount of learning and attitude change resulting from TVS attendance. The results indicate that the amount of improvement in knowledge and positive attitude was not significantly related to method of instruction, type of provider, or use of an inducement to attract enrollees. No significant relationship was found between knowledge gain and s ubsequent accident involvement, or between attitude change and subsequent driver record entries. It was also found that although level of knowledge gain was associated with fewer subsequent traffic citations, the magnitude of the relationship was small. It was recommended that, to the extent that one of the goals of TVS is to increase knowledge of safe driving practices, there may be some value in requiring an exit test as a condition for receiving a TVS-completion certificate. However, there is no evidence at this time to conclude that such an increase in knowledge would result in a reduction in subsequent accident involvements. |
III | |
| 85 | 1983/ 06 |
Intervention Strategies for Accident-Involved Drivers: An Experimental Evaluation of Current California Policy and AlternativesTo evaluate standard and alternative strategies for selecting and treating accident-involved drivers in California. |
III | |
| 105 | 1986/ 03 |
Interim Report to the Legislature of the State of California. The Relationship Between Blood Alcohol Concentration Level and Court Sanction Severity in Drunk Driving CasesTo provide the legislature with tabulations of sanction severity by blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level and license status for first and second DUI offenders, prior and subsequent to the enactment of Assembly Bill (AB) 144 (Naylor, 1985). |
III | |
| NRN074 | 1980/ 06 |
Improved Motorcyclist Licensing and Testing Project(1) To determine whether two improved motorcycle licensing programs were more effective in reducing accidents and convictions of novice motorcyclists than the standard program, (2) to determine whether applicant characteristics influenced the accident-reducing effectiveness of the licensing program, (3) to determine the predictive validity of the standard and improved knowledge and drive tests, and (4) to determine the effectiveness of remedial skills training. |
VI | |
| NRN036 | 1994/ 05 |
Impact on Effectiveness of Level-3 Negligent Driver Actions of Conducting Level-3 Hearings by Phone-A Preliminary AnalysisTo evaluate the impact of conducting hearings by telephone on the effectiveness of Level-3 interventions in the Negligent Operator Treatment System (NOTS). |
III | |
| NRN003 | 1978/ 07 |
IIHS Study on Driver Education: Fact or Fiction?To point out some critical limitations of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's study on driver training. |
I | |
| 237 | 2012/ 05 |
Identifying Barriers to Driving Privilege Reinstatement among California DUI OffendersEvidence suggests that many suspended DUI offenders delay reinstatement of their driving privileges long after they become eligible to reinstate and that those who delay have higher recidivism rates and remain outside of the driver-control system, making corrective action difficult if their driving continues to be a problem. This study updates prior estimates of the extent to which California DUI offenders delay reinstatement of their driving privileges after suspension and investigates the perceived barriers to reinstatement through surveys of offenders and DUI-system professionals. California driver records show that the majority of otherwise reinstatement-eligible 1st and 2ndDUI offenders in California do not reinstate their driving privileges 3 or more years following their arrests. The surveyed offenders and DUI-system professionals indicated strong agreement that high overall financial costs and offenders’ confusion about system requirements are the most significant barriers to meeting the obligations that would enable offenders to reinstate their driving privilege, followed closely by failure to complete DUI Program requirements, most often because of offenders’ inability to pay the program costs, and also because they lack available alternate transportation to attend classes. The barriers to reinstatement may effectivelydeter some offenders from driving, preventing DUI incidents they might otherwise have caused, but appear to deprive others at risk of recidivating who continue to drive impaired from access to needed intervention programs. To address the study’s primary identified barriers to driving privilege reinstatement, several recommendations are made addressing cost mitigation, improved centralized communication of system requirements, and the benefits to obtaining early license restrictionand, ultimately, reinstatement. |
III | |
| 54 | 1975/ 05 |
How the Public Views DMVTo conduct a survey to determine the general public’s view of DMV. |
VII |