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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRN062 | 1994/ 12 |
Evaluating DUI Program Impact in Quasi ExperimentsTo increase awareness of the need for rigorous research designs in evaluating DUI intervention programs and to present examples where quasi experiments have produced relatively equivocal results. |
IV | |
| 238 | 2012/ 09 |
ESTIMATION OF FATAL CRASH RATES FOR SUSPENDED/REVOKED AND UNLICENSED DRIVERS IN CALIFORNIAThis study used a quasi-induced exposure (QIE) analysis technique to estimate annual fatal crash involvement rates for S/R, unlicensed, and validly licensed drivers in California from 1987 through 2009 using fatal crash data obtained from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and California Department of Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS). The annual fatal crash involvement ratios range from 0.81 to 0.91 for validly licensed drivers, 1.44 to 4.29 for S/R drivers, and 1.60 to 3.50 for unlicensed drivers, respectively, over the 23-year time period studied. The annual at-fault overinvolvement rates for S/R and unlicensed drivers relative to validly licensed drivers range from 1.57 to 4.93 for the S/R group and from 1.84 to 4.10 for the unlicensed group. Although the annual rates fluctuate, S/R and unlicensed drivers were overinvolved as at-fault drivers in fatal crashes every year relative to validly licensed drivers. The fatal crash involvement ratios obtained for all years combined (1987 through 2009) are 0.86 for validly licensed drivers, 2.23 for S/R drivers, and 2.34 for unlicensed drivers. The at-fault overinvolvement rates for the S/R and unlicensed groups, relative to the validly licensed group, are 2.60 and 2.73, respectively, for this 23-year period. The study results provide strong evidence that S/R and unlicensed drivers are much more hazardous on the road than are validly licensed drivers. Compared to licensed drivers, those who drive without a valid license are nearly three times more likely to cause a fatal crash relative to their exposure. The study findings strongly justify the use of countermeasures, including vehicle impoundment, to control S/R and unlicensed drivers and to reduce crashes caused by these drivers. |
VI | |
| NRN088 | 1997/ 01 |
Estimating the Exposure and Fatal Crash Rates of Suspended/Revoked and Unlicensed Drivers in CaliforniaTo derive estimates of the exposure (amount of driving) and crash rates of suspended/revoked and unlicensed drivers, using fatal crash data obtained from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's fatal accident reporting system (FARS) database, and utilizing induced exposure methodology |
VI | |
| 36.2 | 1971/ 03 |
Estimating Program Costs and Benefits, A Supplement to Modifying Negligent Driving Behavior: Evaluation of Selected Driver Improvement TechniquesTo estimate the program costs and program benefits of eight different methods of dealing with negligent drivers. |
III | |
| 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 | |
| NRN051 | 1986/ 09 |
Epidemiologic Perspectives on Drunk DrivingTo provide an integrated synthesis of the drunk driving literature from the perspectives of both public health and public safety. |
IV | |
| 212 | 2004/ 09 |
Enhancing the Alcohol and Drugs Component Of the Statewide Driver Education CurriculumAlcohol-involved crash data show that young drivers are nearly two times more likely to be in an alcohol-involved fatal or injury crash than are all drivers in general. One important way of preventing alcohol-involved motor vehicle crashes is to provide a comprehensive and accurate education to new drivers about the known risks of driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Over 250,000 students per year are guided by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Statewide Driver Education Curriculum. Yet, serious deficiencies have been identified in the original curriculum component covering alcohol and drug education. This project was undertaken to revise the curriculum to correct specific deficiencies, add missing topic areas, and update remaining issue areas that were already included in the curriculum. The final product is a comprehensive state of knowledge alcohol education curriculum component that is being incorporated into the Statewide Driver Education curriculum. |
I | |
| 230 | 2009/ 06 |
Enhanced Negligent Operator Treatment Evaluation System Program Effectiveness Report #1 (Summary Of Findings)The Enhanced Negligent Operator Treatment Evaluation System (ENOTES) provides periodic cost-effectiveness analyses of the California Negligent Operator Treatment System (NOTS). The evaluation system is based on a comparison of the driving records of negligent operators (drivers with multiple traffic conviction and/or crash points) who are randomly assigned to an intervention or to a no-contact delayed treatment comparison group. Three levels of progressively more severe negligent operator interventions were evaluated in this manner; the fourth-level intervention (the most severe) was evaluated indirectly by using data from the Level 3 intervention. Drivers at Levels 1 and 2 were eligible to receive the standard, non-alcohol letter or a letter based on the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of behavior change. The results found NOTS to be effective in reducing subsequent total crashes and citations of treated drivers. Consistent with prior evaluations of NOTS, the largest effects were found for the probation and probation violator sanctions, and the smallest effects were associated with the Level 1 and 2 letters. Within Levels 1 and 2, the TTM letters were found to be more effective than the standard letters in reducing subsequent traffic crashes and convictions. A cost effectiveness analysis of NOTS provided positive estimates at all four levels. |
III | |
| NRN071 | 1989/ 01 |
Elderly Driver InterventionsRaymond C. Peck |
V | |
| NRN004 | 1996/ 01 |
Effectiveness of Novice Driver EducationTo review and critique the results of the NHTSA-funded driver training experimental evaluation known as the "Dekalb" study. |
I |