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
Note Please include the report number, the number of copies requested, and your name, address, and phone number.
| Report ID | Date Published | Title | Section | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93.1 | 1985/ 03 |
An Abstract of License Extensions for Clean-Record Drivers: A Four-Year Follow-UpTo evaluate the traffic safety effect of extending driver licenses by mail for drivers with clean prior four-year records. |
II | |
| 93 | 1985/ 03 |
License Extensions for Clean-Record Drivers: A Four-Year Follow-UpTo evaluate the traffic safety effect of extending driver licenses by mail for drivers with clean prior four-year records. |
II | |
| 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 | |
| NRN006 | 1976/ 06 |
Oral Testing of Driver’s License ApplicantsTo gather information about several potential test modes which could be used with illiterate applicants and which would serve an instructional purpose without putting a premium on verbal ability. |
II | |
| NRN009 | 1985/ 06 |
The Role of Youth in Traffic Accidents: A Review of Past and Current California DataTo clarify the role of youth in traffic accident causation. |
II | |
| NRN014 | 1991/ 07 |
Evaluation of the Commercial Driver License Knowledge TestsTo provide Program and Policy Administration (PP A) with item and test statistics useful for developing and improving the commercial driver license (CDL) knowledge tests. |
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 | |
| 229 | 2010/ 04 |
California’s 3‐Tier Pilot Process Analysis AppendixThis report presents the descriptive and predictive analyses of: (i) the results of a survey (n = 130) conducted of California Department of Motor Vehicles (CA DMV) Field Office and Driver Safety Branch staff and managers participating in the 3‐Tier Pilot project; (ii) interviews (n = 49) conducted of CA DMV Field Office and Driver Safety Branch staff and managers participating in the 3‐Tier Pilot; (iii) the results of a survey (n = 5,777) conducted of customers participating in the 3‐Tier Pilot; and (iv) the robustness of the Pelli‐Robson contrast sensitivity chart by location and technician (n = 9,934). These analyses form the primary evidentiary basis for some of the findings and conclusions presented in the 3‐Tier Pilot Process Analysis Report. |
II | |
| 232 | 2010/ 04 |
California’s Three-Tier Driving-Centered Assessment System – Process AnalysisOn September 14, 2006, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 2542 (Daucher) into law, adding Section 1659.9 to the California Vehicle Code, and calling for a pilot study by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (CA DMV) of the 3-Tier Assessment System. This manuscript (the “process report”) constitutes the first of two reports on the 3-Tier Assessment System. It details the planning and implementation of the pilot, the process outcomes for the 12,346 CA DMV customers who participated in the pilot as well as the 4,853 customers who constituted a baseline comparison group, and the results of the subsequent multi-component process evaluation. The process evaluation includes a description of the costs to implement the pilot, discussion of various threats to the methodological validity of the process and outcome analyses, and an estimation of the potential costs of statewide implementation. An appendix to this report (published separately) contains more detailed analyses associated with four components of the process evaluation: the results of a survey of participating staff, the results of qualitative interviews conducted with participating staff, the results of a survey of pilot customers, and the results of an analysis of customer outcomes on the Pelli-Robson contrast sensitivity assessment. |
II | |
| 46 | 1974/ 03 |
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 |