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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 156 | 1994/ 07 |
AGE-RELATED DISABILITIES THAT MAY IMPAIR DRIVING AND THEIR ASSESSMENTThis review, covering literature on age-related disabilities, their assessment, and their effects on driving, represents the initial step in developing an assessment system for identifying and evaluating the driving competency of older drivers with dementia or age-related frailty. Since frailty can be defined as a result of the combined effect of various pathologies superimposed upon the normal physiological changes of aging, emphasis is given to medical conditions which are more characteristic of elderly people. The relationships of these conditions to driving performance and safety are discussed, and nondriving and driving tests relevant to identifying and licensing frail or dementing elderly are described. There is a brief discussion of licensing and post-licensing control programs for elderly drivers in several jurisdictions, including graded licensing. A preliminary assessment protocol for identifying medically impaired elderly drivers and evaluating their driving ability is suggested. |
VI | |
| 163 | 1996/ 03 |
AN EVALUATION OF THE TRAFFIC SAFETY RISK OF BIOPTIC TELESCOPIC LENS DRIVERSThis report compares the 2-year accident and citation rates for 609 drivers who must wear a bioptic telescopic lens (BTL) device when driving with those for a randomly selected comparison group of 28,109 drivers. The criterion measures were statistically adjusted using age and gender as covariates. The results indicate that the adjusted total and fatal/injury accident rates for the BTL group were 1.9 and 1.7 times higher, respectively, than those for the comparison group. However, an opposite result was found for total citations; the adjusted rate for the BTL group was 0.7 of the adjusted rate for the comparison group on this measure. All of the differences were statistically significant. The differences in the adjusted means were even greater when only drivers with valid licenses were considered. These findings suggest that BTL drivers do not sufficiently compensate for their higherrisk status. The study also found that the department's policy of restricting BTL drivers from driving at night was followed for only 35% of the BTL subjects. The department is in the process of correcting this operational deficiency. |
VI | |
| 2 | 1960/ 10 |
Vision Research Project Progress ReportTo present an interim report on the finding of our Visual Research Program for which a preliminary report was presented in January 1959. |
VI | |
| 98 | 1986/ 02 |
Development and Evaluation of a Risk Assessment Strategy for Medically Impaired Drivers. (Volume 8 of “An Evaluation of the California Drunk Driving Countermeasure System”)To develop and evaluate a risk-assessment strategy for medically impaired drivers. |
VI | |
| NRN077 | 1988/ 01 |
Conference on The Control and Management of High Risk DriversTo clarify and expand the body of knowledge on the management of high risk drivers by bringing together a body of leading experts in a conference session format. |
VI | |
| NRN080 | 1990/ 03 |
Uninsured Motorist (SB 850) Study: Estimate of the Rate and Analysis of the Effects of Economic Covariate Factors and the Intervention of SB 850 on the Rate of Uninsured Motorists in California from 1978 to 1988, #1To estimate the rate of uninsured motorists in California (first report) and to determine if the rate of uninsured motorists covaried with economic factors from 1978 to 1988 and if the intervention of SB 850 had an effect on the rate (second report). |
VI | |
| 82.1 | 1986/ 01 |
Senior Driver Facts – Report 82.1To provide a quick reference on the characteristics of senior drivers. |
VI | |
| 131 | 1991/ 11 |
Uninsured Motorists: Their Rate and Cost to Insured MotoristsTo calculate the rate of uninsured motorists statewide and in selected regions of the state where possible, to estimate the costs incurred by insured motorists as a result of accidents caused by uninsured motorists, and to determine the average insurance policy premium cost for an insured motorist. |
VI | |
| 15 | 1963/ 07 |
The Totally Deaf Driver in California, Part ITo determine whether or not the driving records of deaf drivers differ from those of non-deaf drivers, and whether or not deafness or other factors are responsible for any differences found. Specifically, the study was designed to ascertain whether the deaf driver represents a special risk to public safety and, if so, to suggest any necessary licensing restrictions or unique training needs. |
VI | |
| 213 | 2005/ 03 |
PILOT EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH TO HIGH-RISK ELDERLY DRIVERSOver 40,000 Class 3 drivers aged 70 or more who had some traffic incidents on their driving records, but not so many as to make them "negligent operators" under California law, were randomly divided into four groups. One group received educational material (pamphlets, brochures) relating to older driver traffic safety, a resource list of Internet addresses and phone numbers for driving- or elder-oriented organizations, a questionnaire, and a cover letter. A second received only the resource list, questionnaire, and cover letter, while a third received the questionnaire and cover letter, and the fourth was not contacted in any way. There was no significant effect on either subsequent crashes or traffic convictions as a function of the amount of material sent. For the questionnaire, group return rates ranged from 43% to 62%, and several differences were found among the respondents consistent with greater knowledge among those who were sent the educational material. The report ends with a discussion of lessons learned with respect to surveying people—and elderly people specifically—and includes voluminous appendices containing, in part, much of the educational material, the resource list, a presentation of respondent group attitudes toward DMV, and illustrative pages from DMV's new Senior Web Site. |
VI |