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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRN010 | 1986/ 12 |
Evaluation of Driver License Knowledge TestsTo pilot-test four of the Department's written knowledge examinations for driver licensure and provide test and item statistics. |
II | |
| NRN012 | 1988/ 01 |
Reentrant Renewal-by-Mail DriversTo evaluate indicators of health and vision problems in drivers returning to the field offices for driver license renewal after having had two consecutive 4-year renewals by mail (reentrant drivers). |
II | |
| NRN015 | 1992/ 06 |
Evaluation of Third-Party Drive Testing of Passenger Vehicle OperatorsTo compare the driving records of passenger vehicle (PV) operators who passed a third-party (DL 170) drive test with those of PV drivers who passed a drive test administered by Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or California Highway Patrol (CHP). |
II | |
| 255 | 2018/ 06 |
An Evaluation of The Effect of Gaps In Licensure On Traffic Safety Outcomes Subsequent to RenewalAbsent a progressive physical or mental condition, motorists in California are permitted to renew their driver license without submitting to a skills test. This policy applies regardless of how long a customer’s license has been expired. Given a lack of published research on the retention of motor skills required of driving, the current study was designed to evaluate the effect of a “gap” in licensure on one’s ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. More specifically, it sought to determine whether a gap in a customer’s licensing history was associated with crashes and / or convictions subsequent to renewal. To that end, the Department’s Driver License Master File was used to identify motorists in California who had a clearly defined gap at some point during their licensing history. These customers were then placed into one of three study groups based upon the length of time it took for them to relicense: 1 to 30 days (n = 6,135), 31 to 365 days (n = 4,688), or greater than 365 days (n = 1,973). A fourth group of drivers, all of whom had not experienced a gap in their licensing history (i.e., those who renewed early), was also identified to serve as a type of quasi-experimental control group. These analyses found that drivers who had a gap of at least 1 year had the same odds of incurring at least one post-renewal conviction as did drivers who renewed early. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models also indicated that gap duration was not a significant predictor of post-renewal crash involvement; drivers in this study were equally likely to experience a post-renewal crash, regardless of how long they were unlicensed. Based on the findings of this report, recommendations are made to maintain current DMV policy and not integrate skills testing as part of the renewal process, absent additional information indicating potential issues of concern (e.g., a progressive vision disorder). |
II | |
| 106.1 | 1986/ 05 |
An Abstract of 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 | |
| 225 | 2008/ 03 |
Statewide Evaluation of Commercial Drivers License Written Knowledge TestsThis report presents the results of an evaluation of the written knowledge tests administered to applicants for a commercial driver license or endorsement. The report presents the fail rate, mean number of errors, and internal‐consistency reliability coefficient for each test form, as well as the pass rate, item‐choice selection rates, and item‐total correlation for each test question on each test form. Items that need to be reviewed for possible rewording or replacement are identified. Additional recommendations for improving the testing process are also provided. The results are based on 8,576 test sheets completed in all California Department of Motor Vehicle field offices from November 27, 2007 to December 31, 2007. |
II | |
| 40 | 1973/ 03 |
An Evaluation of California’s Oral Licensing ExaminationTo analyze the cost and effect of orally examining illiterate applicants. |
II | |
| 46.1 | 1974/ 01 |
An abstract of An Evaluation of California’s “Good Driver” Incentive ProgramTo study the effects of rewards and/ or incentives in the form of one-year license extensions (no testing or visit to field office required) for drivers with one-year-clean prior records. |
II | |
| 62.1 | 1978/ 08 |
An Evaluation of the California Drive Test in Theme and Variation. Volume I: Treatment Development and Preliminary EvaluationTo develop two modifications of the standard California drive test--the first to make the test more difficult, the second to make the test more comprehensive and more difficult. In addition, the relationships between scores on the standard and new, more comprehensive, test and biographical and driver record data were to be obtained. |
II | |
| 62 | 1978/ 08 |
An Evaluation of the California Drive Test in Theme and Variation. Volume I: Treatment Development and Preliminary EvaluationTo develop two modifications of the standard California drive test--the first to make the test more difficult, the second to make the test more comprehensive and more difficult. In addition, the relationships between scores on the standard and new, more comprehensive, test and biographical and driver record data were to be obtained. |
II |