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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 113 | 1987/ 09 |
Traffic Violator School Dismissals: The Effects of Citation Masking on Accident-Risk Assessment and on the Volume of Department of Motor Vehicles’ License Control ActionsTo evaluate the effects of citation masking on accident-risk assessment and on the volume of Department of Motor Vehicles' license control actions. |
III | |
| 112 | 1987/ 12 |
An Evaluation of the California Drunk Driving Countermeasure System: An Overview of Study Findings and Policy ImplicationsTo summarize the results and policy implications of seven-part study entitled An Evaluation of the Countermeasure System. a major federally funded California Drunk Driving |
III | |
| 111 | 1987/ 01 |
Accident and Conviction Rates of Visually Impaired Heavy Vehicle OperatorsThis study was designed to determine whether waiving the federal static acuity standard adversely impacted traffic safety. Drivers for whom the standard was waived could drive commercially only within California. Two-year accident and conviction rates of visually impaired commercial heavyvehicle operators (class 1 or 2 licensees) were compared to those of a sample of visually nonimpaired commercial heavy-vehicle operators. Nonimpaired drivers met current federal acuity standards (corrected acuity of 20/40 or better in both eyes), while impaired drivers had substandard static acuity and were classified as either moderately (corrected acuity between 20/40 and 20/200 in the worse eye) or severely (corrected acuity worse than 20/200 in the worse eye) impaired. California and total mileage estimates for Class 1 and Class 2 drivers obtained in a mailed questionnaire did not differ significantly between impairment groups. However, other potentially biasing factors remained and are discussed. Analysis of covariance, with age as a covariate, revealed that on subsequent two-year driver records the visually impaired drivers had significantly, and substantially, more total accidents and convictions than did the nonimpaired drivers. Severely impaired drivers had directionally worse driver records than did the moderately impaired drivers on three of the four traffic safety measures assessed, but these differences were not statistically significant. Study findings led to qualified support for the stricter federal standard, particularly in the case of the severely impaired heavy-vehicle operator. |
VI | |
| 109 | 1986/ 09 |
Final Report to the Legislature of the State of California. The Relationship Between Blood Alcohol Concentration Level and Court Sanction Severity in Drunk Driving CasesTo provide the legislature with tabulations of sanction severity by blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level and license status for first and second DUI offenders, prior and subsequent to the enactment of Assembly Bill (AB) 144 (Naylor, 1985). |
III | |
| 108 | 1986/ 07 |
An Evaluation of the Traffic Safety Impact of Provisional Licensing; Interim Report to the Legislature of the State of California – In Accord with Senate Bill 48To evaluate the traffic safety impact of California's Provisional Driver License Program. The primary goal of the program is to reduce the rate of traffic accidents and traffic violations involving 15- through 17-year-olds in California. |
II | |
| 107 | 1986/ 05 |
An Evaluation of the California Habitual Traffic Offender LawTo evaluate the California habitual traffic offender law (AB 3529 - Mountjoy) interms of: (1) the number of habitual traffic offenders (HTO) identified, (2) their prosecution and conviction rates, and (3) the degree of traffic safety risk posed by HTOs |
III | |
| 106 | 1986/ 05 |
Licensing Novice Motorcyclists: A Comparison of the Traffic Safety Impact of California’s Standard Test and the MOST II (Motorcycle Operator Skill Test) Administered at Centralized Testing OfficesTo clarify issues raised in the Anderson et al. study, "Improved Motorcyclist Licensing and Testing Project," to answer the following two questions: 1) Would the MOST II reduce accidents and convictions when compared to California's standard skill test? 2) Would there be an accident reduction which was independent of the reduction in instruction permit and license issuance rates resulting from the inconvenience of being required to travel to another location to be tested? |
II | |
| 105 | 1986/ 03 |
Interim Report to the Legislature of the State of California. The Relationship Between Blood Alcohol Concentration Level and Court Sanction Severity in Drunk Driving CasesTo provide the legislature with tabulations of sanction severity by blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level and license status for first and second DUI offenders, prior and subsequent to the enactment of Assembly Bill (AB) 144 (Naylor, 1985). |
III | |
| 104 | 1986/ 01 |
An Evaluation of the Impact of a Warning Letter for First-Time DUI Offenders (Volume 6 of “An Evaluation of the California Drunk Driving Countermeasure System”)To develop, implement, and evaluate a package consisting of a warning letter and pamphlet suitable for the first-DUI offender. |
III | |
| 103 | 1986/ 03 |
A Confidence Interval Approach to the Development of Blood Alcohol Concentration ChartsTo develop blood alcohol concentration charts based on confidence interval estimates |
VII |