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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 186 | 1999/ 12 |
Development of a Conceptual Integrated Traffic Safety Problem Identification DatabaseThe project conceptualized a traffic safety risk management information system and statistical database for improved problem-driver identification, countermeasure development, and resource allocation. The California Department of Motor Vehicle Driver License (DL) and Vehicle Registration (VR) database systems, the California Highway Patrol Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) each provide valuable information on crashes in California for conducting problem identification analyses, developing and evaluating traffic safety programs, and allocating services. The project explored these four primary systems and investigated several additional data sources suggested by the project advisory committee, including the California Department of Transportation Traffic Accident Surveillance and Analysis System, the Department of Health Services Hospital Discharge Database, and the Department of Justice Criminal Justice Information System. Based on a review of the existing systems and inputs from a project advisory committee of representatives of leading national and state traffic safety research interests, the department has decided to develop a prototype ITSPID system that would integrate the DL, VR, SWITRS, and FARS databases. |
IV | |
| 99 | 1985/ 10 |
Development of a Comprehensive Evaluation Design and Data Collection System for Assessment of Provisional LicensingTo develop a valid and comprehensive evaluation design and data collection method for assessment of provisional licensing in California. |
II | |
| 121 | 1989/ 09 |
Development of a California DUI Management Information SystemTo develop the design specifications for a comprehensive California Dill management information system. |
V | |
| 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 | |
| 202 | 2003/ 03 |
Development and Evaluation of a Risk Management Strategy for Reducing Crash RiskThe goal of this project was to develop a strategy for maximizing the number of traffic crashes prevented by tailoring educational, rehabilitative, and license control interventions to identifiable high-risk problem driver groups. Regression models were applied to a random sample of licensed California drivers with the objective of identifying groups of drivers with elevated risks of being involved in future traffic crashes. The driving records of the risk groups identified from the models were examined to identify drivers not receiving any form of driver improvement or license control actions. The risk levels of these identified "untreated" drivers were compared with negligent operators who have received licensing actions to determine how existing discretionary and mandatory actions correlate with traffic safety risk. The defining characteristics of high-risk drivers escaping driver improvement or license control actions were examined in an attempt to construct a recommended set of countermeasures. The potential utility of these countermeasures in terms of crash reduction and benefit-cost ratios was estimated based on prior research evidence and mathematical simulation. In examining the defining characteristics of high-risk groups that currently escape driver improvement interventions, the majority was characterized either by TVS dismissals, citations, or crashes. These elements often combine with each other and with other risk factors to increase crash risk beyond that of drivers who meet the state’s prima facie definition of a "negligent operator." It is noted that there are two fundamental considerations for constructing a countermeasure system: (1) the countermeasures must be economically and operationally feasible, and (2) they must be legally permissible. Therefore, this study recommends interventions involving minimal expense, no in-person contact with DMV personnel, and no license-control actions. |
IV | |
| NRN078 | 1989/ 12 |
Development and Evaluation of a Risk Assessment Strategy for Medically Impaired DriversDetailed AnalysisTo further evaluate a risk-assessment strategy for drivers with physical or mental (P&M) conditions. |
VI | |
| 98 | 1986/ 02 |
Development and Evaluation of a Risk Assessment Strategy for Medically Impaired Drivers. (Volume 8 of “An Evaluation of the California Drunk Driving Countermeasure System”)To develop and evaluate a risk-assessment strategy for medically impaired drivers. |
VI | |
| 76 | 1980/ 10 |
Design and Evaluation of a Crash Prediction StrategyTo define and validate a method of identifying groups of high-risk drivers which yields a more effective crash prediction model than the Department's negligent-operator (neg-op) point system. |
IV | |
| 5 | 1960/ 08 |
Departmental Functions Relating to Vehicle Use and Ownership, 1915-1959To undertake a survey of Department of Motor Vehicles’ functions relating to the use and ownership of vehicles, in response to a request of the California State Assembly’s Assembly Interim Committee on Transportation and Commerce. This report comes under the designation of Phase I, the "fact-gathering" stage of the study. |
VII | |
| 214 | 2005/ 06 |
Department of Motor Vehicles Post-Licensing Control Management Information System Fiscal Year 2003/2004This report is issued as an internal monograph of the California Department of Motor Vehicles’ Research and Development Branch. |
V |