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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 178 | 1998/ 12 |
Evaluation of the Delegated Drive Test Pilot Program: Technical AppendixThis study evaluated the safety impact of allowing driving schools to administer the Driving PerformanceEvaluation (DPE) to provisional license applicants. The results of the driver record comparisons betweenprovisional applicants tested by the driving schools and those tested by DMV did not indicate a statisticallysignificant difference in the 6-month post-licensure accident or citation rates for the groups. Unfortunately,inadequate sample sizes and the potential biases present in the study preclude drawing any firm conclusionsregarding the comparative safety impact of private versus DMV testing. However, the results of the scoringconsistency and reliability analyses are more interpretable and less subject to these problems. The comparisons ofscoring consistency between driving school and DMV examiners indicates that the driving school examinersfollowed the DPE scoring criteria less stringently than did the DMV examiners, and were far more lenient, havingpassed many applicants who subsequently failed the drive test at DMV. Although these findings also requirequalification, it is very unlikely that differences of the magnitude observed can be attributed to bias alone. The lowvolume of subjects, which was a major reason for the low statistical poser of the analyses, may indicate that themarket for delegated testing is small, both within the general public and the driver training industry itself |
II | |
| 181 | 1998/ 12 |
An Evaluation of the Impact of California’s Driving PerformanceEvaluation Road Test on Traffic Accident and Citation RatesThis evaluation is the final stage of a project to develop and evaluate the driving performance evaluation(DPE) drive test for possible statewide implementation in California. This study and earlier studies in theseries are part of a more extensive effort by the department to increase the competency of Californiamotorists by improving the driver licensing process. The DPE is currently being used in over 60 fieldoffices in southern California.The effect of the DPE on accident and citation rates was determined by comparing driving records for asample of applicants taking the DPE with those of a sample of applicants taking the current drive test bothbefore and after implementation of the DPE.Logistic regression analysis was used to compare the crash and citation rates of the groups during the 2years immediately following driver license application. The findings failed to substantiate any reduction inaccident involvements or traffic law violations resulting from implementation of the program. However,there is no question that the DPE is a more reliable and content-valid test. Therefore, it is recommendedthat the DPE road test be expanded to all offices in the state. |
II | |
| 196 | 2005/ 05 |
Development and Evaluation of Revised Class C Driver LicenseWritten Knowledge TestsThis report presents the results of an evaluation of English and Spanish language Class C license written knowledge examinations administered to applicants for an original or renewal driver licenses. The tests were extensively modified following the 1999 statewide evaluation (Masten, 1999). The study assessed the fail rate, mean number of errors, and internal-consistency reliability for each test form, as well as the pass rate, percentage of applicants selecting each answer choice, and item-total correlation for each item on each English language test form. The results are based on 10,502 completed test forms that were collected from field offices statewide in April 2001. It was found that the test fail rates for all tests decreased from the last statewide evaluation. However, the disparity in fail rates between the English and Spanish tests increased, with the rates for Spanish applicants continuing to be substantially higher than the rates for English applicants. |
II | |
| 44 | 1973/ 12 |
An Evaluation of the Drive Test as an Examination Requirement for Drivers Previously Licensed in Another StateTo determine if waiving the drive test for original applicants previously licensed in another state would be detrimental to their driving records. |
II | |
| 52 | 1976/ 04 |
An Evaluation of the California Driver Knowledge Test and the University of Michigan Item PoolTo evaluate both the written DMV driver licensing test and a large sample of driver knowledge test items selected from the University of Michigan's Highway Safety Research Institute (HSRI) item pool. |
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 | |
| 62.2 | 1978/ 12 |
An Evaluation of the California Drive Test in Theme and Variation. Volume II: Final ReportTo determine if a longer, more "comprehensive" drive test, or the standard drive test with parallel parking and a higher fail rate, would improve the subsequent driving records of previously unlicensed applicants. |
II | |
| 73 | 1980/ 02 |
Development of a Provisional Licensing Program for New California DriversTo examine the feasibility of provisional licensing procedures for new California drivers and to analyze potential program components. |
II | |
| ACR67 | 1971/ 01 |
Report to the California State Legislature, in Accord with Assembly Concurrent Resolution 67, 1969 Legislative Session, WakefieldTo comply with Assembly Concurrent Resolution 67, (1960 Legislative Session) by conducting a pilot study of the effects of waiving the knowledge test for renewal applicants. |
II | |
| NRN013 | 1988/ 06 |
Multiple License Study: Technical Appendix to AB 3262 ReportIn compliance with Assembly Bill 3262 (Katz), to (1) estimate the number of Class 1 and 2 (heavy commercial vehicle) drivers with more than one driver license or with an X-record on file that had not been matched to the driver, (2) perform a point-count and DUI-conviction analysis of Class 1 and 2 drivers with multiple records and estimate how much worse they would look, in terms of accidents and convictions, if their separate records were combined, and (3) analyze license class types as a byproduct of the sampling design. |
II |