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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 199 | 2002/ 11 |
Application of Behavior Change Theory to the Development of an Enhanced California Negligent Operator Treatment and Evaluation SystemThrough this critical review of the literature and evaluation of warning letter contents, the foundation has been set for the development of an enhanced negligent-operator treatment and evaluation system (ENOTES) for California. Criteria to evaluate the treatment letters were developed from the 16 components of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of behavior change that, incidentally, incorporates the majority of the recommendations made by traffic safety researchers over the past 50 years. The evaluated studies were tabulated by the strength of the evidence supporting each treatment in terms of the quality of the research and the validity of the methods as defined by the degree to which they reflected components of the TTM. Overall, the research designs were outstanding. However, the warning letters themselves were weaker, and generally not strongly tied to a theory of behavior change. On average, 2.5 of the six General Stage, 1.8 of the five Early Stage, and 0.29 of the five Late Stage TTM elements were utilized. No balanced treatment letters were identified that incorporated the majority of the TTM elements available from all three stages. A definite opportunity exists to strengthen the effectiveness of letter treatments through intelligent use of the TTM |
III | |
| 74 | 1980/ 04 |
Application of Audio-Visual Presentation and Various Feedback Methods to Drivers License Testing: An Evaluation of Learning EffectsTo develop and demonstrate the effectiveness of an audio-visual driver's license testing program. |
II | |
| NRN075 | 1983/ 04 |
Appendix H of “Administrative Review, Analysis, and Recommendations for California Heavy Vehicle Operator Licensing Program”In conjunction with a project intended to develop enhanced licensing procedures for heavy-vehicle operators, data on all original and 65,000 renewal drivers licensed to drive heavy commercial vehicles (class 1 and 2 drivers) were analyzed. |
VI | |
| 119 125 130 136 140 | 2020/ 04 |
Annual Tabulations of Mature Driver Program Driving Record Comparisons (1989-1993). Annual Report to the Legislature of the State of California.To provide annual tabulations comparing the accident and conviction records of Mature Driver Improvement (MDI) course participants and of a randomly selected group of drivers of similar age (55 and above). |
I | |
| 89 | 1984/ 03 |
Analysis of DUI Processing from Arrest Through Post-Conviction Countermeasures (Volume 1 of “An Evaluation of the California Drunk Driving Countermeasure System”)(1) To develop process flow charts for the whole DUI system, depicting all elements and decision points concerning drivers, abstracts, and license actions involved in the reporting system, both before and after new legislation (AB 541) became effective on January I, 1982; (2) to describe the whole DUI system from the point of arrest to the driver record file, both before and after AB 541; (3) to identify areas or sources of system inefficiency or modes of circumvention of specified provisions, especially in the post-AB 541 system; and (4) to develop alternate solutions and associated recommendations. |
III | |
| NRN067 | 1971/ 10 |
An Optimum System for Traffic Enforcement/Driver Control-Volumes I through IIIThis study was conducted in response to a 1968 Senate Resolution (SR 160) which directed the California Department of Motor Vehicles to make an in-depth study of functions performed by state traffic enforcement/ driver control agencies. |
V | |
| NRN068 | 1972/ 12 |
An Optimum System for Traffic Enforcement/Driver Control-Volume IV: The Evaluation of the Recommendations Made by the Consulting FirmTo provide background information regarding the Sylvania study (preceding page), and to identify areas of concern to management and resultant actions taken; to present a matrix of the major study recommendations with the involved departments' stands and status on each. (Departments: OTS - Office of Traffic Safety, DMV - Department of Motor Vehicles, AOC - Administrative Office of the Courts, Judicial Council, and CHP California Highway Patrol.) |
V | |
| 144 | 1994/ 08 |
An Inventory of California Driver Accident Risk FactorsThis report is a statistical compilation of accident-risk factors identified through a preliminary analysis of driver record information extracted in May 1992, providing driving record information through December 1991. The information is presented in relatively raw tabular form with minimal narrative and interpretation. The goal is to provide report recipients and users with a comprehensive array of up-to-date accidentrisk information. More formal and comprehensive analyses will be published at a later date. |
IV | |
| 204 | 2003/ 10 |
An Inventory of California Driver Accident Risk FactorsThis report updates information on a random sample of licensed California drivers as published in an earlier report prepared by the California Department of Motor Vehicles: An inventory of California driver accident risk factors (Gebers & Peck, 1994). It is designed to provide highway safety administrators, insurance industry representatives, and researchers in the field of traffic safety with information for developing program and policy decisions. This report presents driver record information on a random sample of over 200,000 California drivers and driver record histories over varying time periods. The report addresses the following issues related to the assessment of traffic accident risk: • Driver record in relation to gender and age. • Accident-repeater phenomenon. • Relationship between traffic accidents and citations. • Relationship between traffic accidents and multiple driver record variables (e.g., prior accidents and citations, sex, and license class). • Multiple logistic and negative binomial regression equations of accident risk factors and relativities. Findings presented in the report confirmed that prior total citation frequency continues to be the most significant predictor of accident involvement, followed by prior accident involvement frequency. Increased accident involvement was shown to be associated with increased prior citation and accident frequencies, possessing a commercial driver license, being young, being male, having a medical condition on record, and having a physician referral for low visual-acuity on record. |
IV | |
| 200 | 2002/ 11 |
An Examination of the Characteristics and Traffic Risk of Drivers Suspended/Revoked for Different ReasonsOne measure that has traditionally been used to better control drunk and other high-risk drivers has been to suspend or revoke their privilege to drive. However, because the driving privilege is so highly valued, an increasing number of new laws have been passed which prescribe license suspension/revocation as a punishment for a variety of offenses, including some completely unrelated to driving. This has created a diverse group of suspended/revoked drivers. Prior research has demonstrated that suspended/revoked drivers pose a significant traffic risk, but until now little has been known about whether, and if so how, this risk varies as a function of the reason for suspension/revocation. This study classifies suspended/revoked drivers into subgroups based on their reason for suspension/revocation, and then develops demographic and driving risk profiles for each group. Separate risk profiles are developed for the following traffic safety indicators, measured 3 years prior to the suspension/revocation action; 1) total crashes, 2) fatal/injury crashes, 3) total traffic convictions, and 4) total incidents (crashes + convictions). The findings clearly show that: 1) suspended/revoked drivers are a heterogeneous group, both demographically and in their driving behavior; 2) some suspended drivers, such as those suspended/revoked for a non-driving offense, have low traffic risks that are comparable to those of validlylicensed drivers, and; 3) all suspended groups have elevated crash and conviction rates, compared to validly-licensed drivers. The implications of these findings for current laws and policies targeting suspended/revoked drivers are discussed, and recommendations for improving these laws/policies are presented. |
IV |