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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 260 | 2020/ 06 |
2019 Annual Report of the California DUI Management Information SystemIn this twenty-eighth annual legislatively-mandated report, 2016 and 2017 driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs (DUI) data from diverse sources were compiled and cross-referenced for the purpose of developing a single comprehensive DUI data reference and monitoring system. This report presents crosstabulated information on DUI arrests, convictions, postconviction sanctions, driver license suspension/revocation actions, and on drivers in alcohol- or drug-involved crashes. |
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| 164 | 1996/ 07 |
Predicting DUI Recidivism. Volume 2: The Incremental Utility of Non-Driver Record FactorsThis study determined if factors not available on the driver record are significant predictors of DUI recidivism in the presence of factors found on the driver record. The first substudy focused on alcohol assessment factors, while the second substudy focused on demographic and life-style factors. Alcohol assessment factors, including the MAST and CAGE tests, and the interviewer’s assessment of alcohol dependency, were not found to be significant predictors of 1-year DUI recidivism, while some demographic factors were found to be significant predictors. DUI recidivism was found to decrease with increasing years of education and with being employed full-time, while it increased with the number of prior alcohol or drug treatment experiences and being on active military duty status. Each substudy identified driver record factors which were also significant predictors of 1-year DUI recidivism. |
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| 198 | 2003/ 01 |
2003 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CALIFORNIA DUI MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMIn this twelfth annual legislatively mandated report, 2000 and 2001 DUI data from diverse sources were compiled and cross-referenced for the purpose of developing a single comprehensive DUI data reference and monitoring system. This report presents crosstabulated information on DUI arrests, convictions, court sanctions, administrative actions and alcoholinvolved accidents. In addition, this report provides an evaluation of the effectiveness of alternative court and administrative sanctions (including alcohol treatment programs and license actions) upon the 1-year postconviction records of first and second DUI offenders over a time period of eleven years. The postconviction driving records of second DUI offenders arrested in 1998 and 2000 were evaluated for 3- and 1-year periods, respectively. Additional analyses were conducted on the effectiveness of alcohol education programs upon the 1-year post conviction records of those convicted of the reduced charge of alcohol-related reckless driving, and on the effectiveness of the 3-month versus 6-month alcohol education programs on the 1-year post conviction records of first offenders. |
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| 220 | 2006/ 01 |
2006 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CALIFORNIA DUI MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMIn this fifteenth annual legislatively mandated report, 2003 and 2004 DUI data from diverse sources were compiled and cross-referenced for the purpose of developing a single comprehensive DUI data reference and monitoring system. This report presents crosstabulated information on DUI arrests, convictions, court sanctions, administrative actions and alcohol-involved crashes. In addition, this report provides 1-year proportions of DUI recidivism and crash rates for first and second DUI offenders arrested in each year over a time period of fourteen years. Also, the long- term recidivism curves of the cumulative proportions of DUI reoffenses are shown for all DUI offenders arrested in 1994. Analyses were conducted on the effectiveness of alcohol education programs upon the 1-year postconviction records of those convicted of the reduced charge of alcohol-related reckless driving, and on the effectiveness of the 3-month versus 6-month alcohol education programs on the 1-year postconviction records of first offenders. Two additional subanalyses were conducted to determine if differences on the outcome measures were related to BAC level (below .20 and .20 and above). The proportions of 2003 convicted first and second offenders who completed their alcohol education/treatment program requirement are also presented. |
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| 228 | 2009/ 01 |
2009 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CALIFORNIA DUI MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMIn this eighteenth annual legislatively-mandated report, 2006 and 2007 DUI data from diverse sources were compiled and cross-referenced for the purpose of developing a single comprehensive DUI data reference and monitoring system. This report presents crosstabulated information on DUI arrests, convictions, court sanctions, administrative actions and alcohol-involved crashes. In addition, this report provides 1-year proportions of DUI recidivism and crash rates for first and second DUI offenders arrested in each year over a time period of seventeen years. Also, the longterm recidivism curves of the cumulative proportions of DUI reoffenses are shown for all DUI offenders arrested in 1994. Analyses were conducted on the effectiveness of DUI programs on the 1-year postconviction records of those convicted of the reduced charge of alcohol-related reckless driving, and on the effectiveness of the 3-month versus 9-month DUI programs on the 1-year postconviction records of first offenders. Two additional subanalyses were conducted to determine if differences in the outcome measures were related to BAC level (below 0.20% and 0.20% and above). The proportions of 2006 convicted first and second offenders who were referred, enrolled, and completed DUI programs are also presented. |
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| 233 | 2011/ 01 |
2011 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CALIFORNIA DUI MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMIn this twentieth annual legislatively-mandated report, 2008 and 2009 DUI data from diverse sources were compiled and cross-referenced for the purpose of developing a single comprehensive DUI data reference and monitoring system. This report presents crosstabulated information on DUI arrests, convictions, court sanctions, administrative actions and alcohol-involved crashes. In addition, this report provides 1-year proportions of DUI recidivism and crash rates for first and second DUI offenders arrested in each year over a time period of 19 years. Also, the long-term recidivism curves of the cumulative proportions of DUI reoffenses are shown for all DUI offenders arrested in 1994. Two analyses were conducted to evaluate if referrals to DUI programs were associated with reductions in 1-year subsequent violations and crashes among those convicted of the reduced charge of alcohol-related reckless driving, and if referrals to the 9-month DUI program were associated with reductions in 1-year subsequent violations and crashes when compared to referrals to the 3-month DUI program among first DUI offenders. The proportions of 2008 convicted first and second offenders who were referred, enrolled, and completed DUI programs are also presented. |
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| 257 | 2018/ 10 |
2017 Annual Report of the California DUI Management Information SystemIn this twenty-sixth annual legislatively-mandated report, 2014 and 2015 driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs (DUI) data from diverse sources were compiled and cross-referenced for the purpose of developing a single comprehensive DUI data reference and monitoring system. This report presents crosstabulated information on DUI arrests, convictions, postconviction sanctions, driver license suspension/revocation actions, and on drivers in alcohol- or drug-involved crashes. In addition, this report provides 1-year proportions of DUI recidivism and crash rates for first and second DUI offenders arrested in each year over a time period of 25 years. Also, the long-term recidivism curves of the cumulative proportions of DUI reoffenses are shown for all DUI offenders arrested in 2005. An analysis was conducted to evaluate if referrals to the 9-month DUI program were associated with reductions in 1-year subsequent DUI incidents and crashes when compared to referrals to the 3- month DUI program among first DUI offenders. The proportions of convicted first and second DUI offenders arrested in 2014, who were referred, enrolled, and completed DUI programs are also presented. Additionally, the numbers and percentages of DUI offenders who installed ignition interlock devices are presented by county and DUI offender status. |
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| 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.) |
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| 158 | 1995/ 09 |
The General Deterrent Impact of California’s 0.08% Blood Alcohol concentration Limit and Administrative Per Se License Suspension LawsThis project evaluated the effects of two new driving-under-the-influence (DUI) laws implemented in California. The first law, effective January 1, 1990, reduced California’s illegal per se limit to 0.08% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and the second, effective July 1, 1990, imposed an administrative per se (APS) pre-conviction license suspension on DUI offenders. Intervention time series analysis was used to evaluate the deterrent impact of these laws on the general population of DUI offenders as measured by the effects on alcohol-related traffic accidents. |
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| 165 | 1997/ 01 |
1997 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CALIFORNIA DUI MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMIn this sixth annual legislatively mandated report, 1994 and 1995 DUI data from several diverse sources were compiled and cross-referenced for the purpose of developing a single comprehensive DUI data and monitoring system. This report presents crosstabulated information on DUI arrests, convictions, court sanctions, administrative actions and alcoholinvolved accidents. In addition, this report provides an evaluation of the effectiveness of alternative court and administrative sanctions (including alcohol treatment programs and license actions) upon the postconviction records of first and second DUI offenders. The postconviction driving records of DUI offenders arrested in 1989, 1992, and 1994 were evaluated for six-, three-, and one-year periods, respectively. |
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