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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | 1980/ 04 |
Application of Audio-Visual Presentation and Various Feedback Methods to Drivers License Testing: An Evaluation of Learning EffectsTo develop and demonstrate the effectiveness of an audio-visual driver's license testing program. |
II | |
| IM1 | 1993/ 09 |
Pilot of the Driving Performance EvaluationTo determine the consistency of the test examiners in scoring the Driving Performance Evaluation (DPE) drive test. |
II | |
| NRN007 | 1983/ 06 |
Pilot Test of the Written Words and Phrases TestTo evaluate the written Words and Phrases Test (DL-140) and provide test and item statistics. |
II | |
| NRN008 | 1983/ 07 |
Evaluation of Ambulance Driver Knowledge TestTo evaluate the Ambulance Driver Examination (DL-5J) and to provide test and item statistics. |
II | |
| NRN017 | 1994/ 04 |
Class C Drive Test Baseline Study: Preliminary ReportTo obtain descriptive statistics on 30 DMV field offices in order to select six representative sites for a follow-up evaluation of the reliability of the current Class C drive test. |
II | |
| 73 | 1980/ 02 |
Development of a Provisional Licensing Program for New California DriversTo examine the feasibility of provisional licensing procedures for new California drivers and to analyze potential program components. |
II | |
| ACR67 | 1971/ 01 |
Report to the California State Legislature, in Accord with Assembly Concurrent Resolution 67, 1969 Legislative Session, WakefieldTo comply with Assembly Concurrent Resolution 67, (1960 Legislative Session) by conducting a pilot study of the effects of waiving the knowledge test for renewal applicants. |
II | |
| NRN013 | 1988/ 06 |
Multiple License Study: Technical Appendix to AB 3262 ReportIn compliance with Assembly Bill 3262 (Katz), to (1) estimate the number of Class 1 and 2 (heavy commercial vehicle) drivers with more than one driver license or with an X-record on file that had not been matched to the driver, (2) perform a point-count and DUI-conviction analysis of Class 1 and 2 drivers with multiple records and estimate how much worse they would look, in terms of accidents and convictions, if their separate records were combined, and (3) analyze license class types as a byproduct of the sampling design. |
II | |
| 106 | 1986/ 05 |
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 | |
| 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 |