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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 142 | 1994/ 01 |
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DRUG ARRESTS AND DRIVING RISKThis study compared the driving records of 106,214 persons arrested for drug offenses in 1989 with 41,493 comparison drivers drawn from the general driving population. The drug arrestees were grouped according to the six summary offense categories used by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which were felony narcotics, marijuana, dangerous drugs, and other drugs, and misdemeanor marijuana and other drugs. Time periods examined were 1 year pre-arrest, 1 year post-arrest and 2 years post-arrest. Each drug arrestee group had significantly more traffic violations and total accidents than the control group, except for 2 year post-arrest accidents for the felony narcotics group. Measures of accident culpability showed drug arrestees to be more responsible for the accidents in which they were involved than was the general driving population. Individuals arrested for drug offenses clearly pose an elevated traffic safety risk. These findings provide a public safety justification for state and federal initiatives designed to institute driver licensing actions against drug offenders, and support for the implementation of Public Law 101-516 in California. |
V | |
| 144 | 1994/ 08 |
An Inventory of California Driver Accident Risk FactorsThis report is a statistical compilation of accident-risk factors identified through a preliminary analysis of driver record information extracted in May 1992, providing driving record information through December 1991. The information is presented in relatively raw tabular form with minimal narrative and interpretation. The goal is to provide report recipients and users with a comprehensive array of up-to-date accidentrisk information. More formal and comprehensive analyses will be published at a later date. |
IV | |
| 145 | 1995/ 01 |
1995 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CALIFORNIA DUI MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMIn this fourth annual report, 1992 and 1993 DUI data from several diverse sources were compiled and cross-referenced for the purpose of developing a single comprehensive DUI data and monitoring system. This report presents crosstabulated information on DUI arrests, convictions, court sanctions, administrative actions and alcohol-involved accidents. In addition, this report provides an evaluation of the effectiveness of alternative court and administrative sanctions (including alcohol treatment programs and license actions) upon the postconviction records of first and second DUI offenders. The postconviction driving records of DUI offenders arrested in 1989, 1991, and 1992 were evaluated for four-, two-, and one-year periods, respectively. |
V | |
| 146 | 1995/ 01 |
AN EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CALIFORNIA DRINKING DRIVER PROGRAMSThere has been longstanding interest in determining which sanctions work best to reduce drunk driving. This study, mandated by the California Legislature (SB 1344) and funded by the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs (DADP), examined the degree to which first offender, SB 38 and 30-month drinking driver programs (DDPs) in California reduced drunk driving recidivism, relative to other sanctions, such as driver license suspension. Based on the findings from this study, as well as those from prior research, this report recommends combining alcohol treatment with driver license actions as the best strategy for reducing drunk driving recidivism and enhancing overall traffic safety. |
V | |
| 147 | 1995/ 02 |
Knowledge and Attitude Change and the Relationship to Driving Performance Among Drivers Attending California Traffic Violator School.One of the primary goals of the traffic violator school (TVS) program is to improve knowledge and attitudes toward traffic safety issues among drivers cited for traffic violations. While the TVS curriculum is standard for all courses, the courses may differ in content emphasis and other factors. Among the specific characteristics on which TVS programs differ are comedy versus non-comedy presentation modes, public versus private ownership, and use of advertising inducements. The present study examined how these d ifferences may influence t he amount of learning and attitude change resulting from TVS attendance. The results indicate that the amount of improvement in knowledge and positive attitude was not significantly related to method of instruction, type of provider, or use of an inducement to attract enrollees. No significant relationship was found between knowledge gain and s ubsequent accident involvement, or between attitude change and subsequent driver record entries. It was also found that although level of knowledge gain was associated with fewer subsequent traffic citations, the magnitude of the relationship was small. It was recommended that, to the extent that one of the goals of TVS is to increase knowledge of safe driving practices, there may be some value in requiring an exit test as a condition for receiving a TVS-completion certificate. However, there is no evidence at this time to conclude that such an increase in knowledge would result in a reduction in subsequent accident involvements. |
III | |
| 148 | 1995/ 03 |
EVALUATION OF CALIFORNIA’S COMMERCIAL DRIVER LICENSE PROGRAMThis report evaluates the impact of the Commercial Driver License (CDL) program on fataland fatal/injury accidents involving heavy vehicles operated by drivers licensed in California.The program, which was initiated in January 1985, began a new commercial-licenseclassification and endorsement system, implemented stronger licensing standards and morecomprehensive tests of knowledge and driving competency, required drivers to report specificviolations to employers, and provided for more stringent post-licensing sanctions to negligentoperators. Intervention time series analysis was used for data analysis. The results indicatethat the CDL program did not have a statistically significant effect on the fatal or fatal/injuryaccident series. |
II | |
| 149 | 1995/ 05 |
An Evaluation of California’s Commercial Driver License Drive TestThe federal government requires states which permit third-party testing of commercial drivers to determine whether these tests are equivalent to those given by the state driver licensing authority. To meet this requirement, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) plans to sample commercial driver license (CDL) applicants tested by their employer, retest them at DMV, and compare the fail rates for the employer and DMV tests to determine if they are equivalent in difficulty and reliability. In order to make this determination, it is necessary to estimate the reliability and other psychometric properties of the California DMV CDL test. Without this information, it is not possible to determine whether differences between the DMV and employer test exceed what would be expected from repeat administration of the CDL test by DMV. |
II | |
| 150 | 1994/ 06 |
THE CALIFORNIA DRIVER PERFORMANCE EVALUATION PROJECT: AN EVALUATION OF A NEW DRIVER LICENSING ROAD TESTIn 1990 the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) initiated a program to increase the level of driving competency of the California driver population. A key element of this program involves the development and implementation of an improved drivetest. |
II | |
| 151 | 1994/ 08 |
THE CALIFORNIA DRIVER PERFORMANCE EVALUATION PROJECT: AN EVALUATION OF THE CURRENT DRIVER LICENSING ROAD TESTThe California DMV is currently involved in a comprehensive effort to increase the competency level of the California driving population. One of these efforts involves the development of a new class C (passenger vehicle) drive test. The present report is designed to provide data on the reliability and psychometric properties of the current class C road test in order to provide a baseline comparison for the new drive test. This evaluation of the current test represents "Stage 1" in a multi-phase test development master plan (Williams & Shumaker, 1994). |
II | |
| 152 | 1995/ 06 |
Vision Testing of Renewal Applicants: Crashes Predicted when Compensation for Impairment is InadequateThis study addresses the enhanced vision test system component of a departmental plan to increase the competency level of the California driving population. Five experimental vision tests were administered to 3,669 randomly selected Class C renewal applicants in three field offices. The objective was to identify the vision tests showing the most promise for further validation in a large-scale statewide study. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that the relationship between vision test scores and crash involvement varies depending on applicant's age, general visual ability, and reported level of self-restriction. It was recommended that (1) management consider referring all DMV Snellen test fails to a vision specialist through the DL 62 process, (2) cross-validate the most promising tests (Pelli-Robson low-contrast acuity and perceptual reaction time assessment) in a large-scale demonstration project, and (3) continue research on developing improved assessment tests and protocols for drivers with age-related impairments. |
II |