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:

Departamento de Vehículos Motorizados
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.

393 Results

Report ID Date Published Title Section Links
NRN024, NRN025, NRN026, NRN027, NRN028, NRN029, NRN030 2020/ 04

Post Licensing Control Reporting and Evaluation System (PLCRES): Negligent Operator Program Costs and Effectiveness

By: Daniel Kadell, William Howe, John Magistad, Ph.D., Raymond C. Peck, William Epperson, Steve Fong, William C. Marsh, David W. Carpenter, Philip Wootton

To implement and maintain an automated on-line evaluation system tor monitoring the effectiveness of negligent-operator programs.

III PDF
102 110 115 117 128 137 2020/ 04

Negligent-Operator Treatment Evaluation System (NOTES): Program Effectiveness Reports

 III PDF
119 125 130 136 140 2020/ 04

Annual Tabulations of Mature Driver Program Driving Record Comparisons (1989-1993). Annual Report to the Legislature of the State of California.

By: Lee Stylos, Mary K. Janke, Eric Berube, Robert A. Hagge, Kevin K. Foster

To provide annual tabulations comparing the accident and conviction records of Mature Driver Improvement (MDI) course participants and of a randomly selected group of drivers of similar age (55 and above).

I PDF
DOT HS-806688 1984/ 12

Development of Knowledge and Performance Tests for Heavy Vehicle Operators: Volume I, Development and Field Test

By: A. J. McKnight, NPSRI; S. L. Kelsey, & M. L. Edwards, NPSRI

This report describes the development and evaluation of the Truck Operator Qualifications Examination (TORQUE) consisting of the following tests: 1. Truck Operator Road Test (TORT); 2. Truck Operator Skill Test (TOST); 3. Truck Operator Manual (TOM); 4. Truck Operator Knowledge Examination (TOKE); 5. Truck Operator Pretest (TOP); 6. Truck Operator Defects Examination (TODE). The field-validation phase of the project was done in Los Angeles, California under a subcontract to the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

VI PDF
NRN104 1991/ 01

Accidents, Mileage, and the Exaggeration of Risk

By: Mary K. Janke

To correct a common misinterpretation of the accidents-per-mile measure. The assumption that accidents should be proportional to miles driven is shown to be invalid and to exaggerate the accident risk of lowmileage groups.

VII PDF
NRN103 1991/ 01

Driving Simulator Review

By: Leonard A. Marowitz

To review and evaluate the technology, costs, and _unresolved issues of contention related to driving simulators; to reach conclusions, based on research studies, about the validity of using driving simulators.

VII PDF
NRN102 1988/ 08

Prediction of Field Office Telephone Staffing Levels

By: Anthony DeMaio

To develop a regression model for staffing telephone operations in DMV field offices.

VII PDF
NRN100 1988/ 04

Standardization of Production Rates for Comparing Field Offices

By: Dan Kadell

To develop practical examples of standardization techniques for use in DMV field offices and headquarters units.

VII PDF
NRN098 1987/ 04

A Queueing Model of Customer Waiting Time in DMV Field Offices

By: Anthony DeMaio

To develop a computerized queueing model for use in DMV field offices for possible reduction of customer waiting time.

VII PDF
NRN097 1986/ 07

Executive Management Information System

By: Rick Williams, Steve Krimetz, & Ron O' Dell

The Executive Management Information System was an attempt to develop a departmental management information system (MIS) for DMV. Summarized production data was compiled and formatted to provide information for middle and upper management.

VII PDF