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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | 1978/ 08 |
An Evaluation of the California Drive Test in Theme and Variation. Volume I: Treatment Development and Preliminary EvaluationTo develop two modifications of the standard California drive test--the first to make the test more difficult, the second to make the test more comprehensive and more difficult. In addition, the relationships between scores on the standard and new, more comprehensive, test and biographical and driver record data were to be obtained. |
II | |
| NRN090 | 1978/ 08 |
Error Rate Study, Division of Drivers’ LicensesTo identify errors in information contained in the drivers' license file; to describe their nature, number and sources. |
VII | |
| 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 | |
| 63 | 1978/ 07 |
The Effects of Written Licensing Tests Stressing Knowledge of Safe Driving Principles for Intermediate Record Renewal ApplicantsTo determine the comparative effects of a new, longer test, stressing knowledge of safe-driving principles, on subsequent driving record. The new tests were administered to renewal applicants who had moderate numbers of collisions and convictions on record, with a control group of comparable drivers receiving standard DMV law tests. |
II | |
| 61 | 1978/ 06 |
The Effects of Administering Written Tests Stressing Knowledge of Safe Driving Principles to Renewal Driver’s License ApplicantsA new licensing test series stressing knowledge of safe driving principles and recent law changes was administered to a group of California driver's license renewal applicants. The primary purpose was to determine if the two series of test forms, testing knowledge of different types of information, differentially affected subjects' subsequent driving records when used in the California DMV knowledge testing program. A secondary objective was to determine the degree of relationship between test scores and driving performance. |
II | |
| 66.1 | 1978/ 04 |
An Abstract of Educational Approaches to Driver Improvement: An Experimental Evaluation with Negligent DriversTo develop a group driver-improvement program that is more effective in reduction of accident/conviction rates and more cost-beneficial than the standard Group Educational Meeting (GEM). |
III | |
| 66 | 1978/ 04 |
Educational Approaches to Driver Improvement: An Experimental Evaluation with Negligent DriversTo develop a group driver-improvement program that is more effective in reduction of accident/conviction rates and more cost-beneficial than the standard Group Educational Meeting (GEM). |
III | |
| 60.1 | 1978/ 03 |
An Abstract of The Effectiveness of an At-Home Drivers’ Licensing Law TestTo explore new approaches to testing which would cost less, be more convenient to the public, and reduce accidents and convictions. |
II | |
| 60 | 1978/ 03 |
The Effectiveness of an At-Home Drivers’ Licensing Law TestTo explore new approaches to testing which would cost less, be more convenient to the public, and reduce accidents and convictions. |
II | |
| NRN020 | 1977/ 09 |
Driver License and Driver Improvement ProgramThe report attempts to conceptualize driver licensing programs into a series of administrative techniques which, if applied in a systematic fashion, should enhance road safety. The basic concept of the report is a recommended shift from a system of selection/ enforcement to a system which is more diagnostic and/or educational in nature. This means a shift from doing things to drivers to a program which operates constructively for drivers. |
III |