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. 

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.

395 Results

Report ID Date Published Title Section Links
30 1969/ 08

Modifying Negligent Driving Behavior Through Warning Letters

By: Robin S. McBride & Raymond C. Peck

To investigate the relative impact of various types of warning letters on the subsequent driving record of negligent drivers. Levels of threat and intimacy were manipulated.

III
29 1976/ 07

The California Driver Fact Book

By: California Department of Motor Vehicles

To provide a quick reference for traffic safety personnel and related program administrators.

VII
28 1968/ 07

The California Motorcycle Study – Driver and Accident Characteristics

By: Richard M. Harano & Raymond C. Peck

To evaluate the extent of the motorcycle problem and pinpoint possible problem areas which could be explored by future research.

IV
27 1968/ 04

Projected Motor Vehicle and Trailer Registration by County, 1967-1980

By: Peck, van Oldenbeck, Marsh, McBride, Harrington, Harano, & Wademan

To prepare a set of estimated vehicle registrations to 1980, by county, for each of the four classes of vehicles --passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, motorcycles, and trailers.

VII
25 1966/ 06

Control of the Negligent Driver–Part III: Six Year After Action Driving Record

By: G. van Oldenbeek & Ronald S. Coppin

To examine the percentage of drivers who either remained in or returned to the negligent driver category after original action; to arrive at a profile of the drivers who remained negligent drivers.

III
23 1966/ 01

The Fatal Accident Reexamination Program in California

By: Ronald S. Coppin & G. van Oldenbeek

To establish a descriptive profile of the re-examined fatal accident driver and to evaluate three-year prior and subsequent driving records of such drivers.

III
22 1965/ 10

The Effectiveness of Short Individual Driver Improvement Sessions

By: Ronald S. Coppin, Raymond C. Peck, Alan Lew, & William C. Marsh

To evaluate the effect of individual hearings on the subsequent driver records of negligent operators

III
21 1965/ 02

The Teen-Aged Driver – Report 21

By: Gareth S. Ferdun, Ronald S. Coppin & Raymond C. Peck

To examine the accident and conviction records of teenaged drivers to determine whether or not a change in the licensing age was warranted and whether or not behind-the-wheel driver training was effective in reducing accidents and convictions.

IV
20 1967/ 07

An Administrative Abstract of the 1964 California Driver Record Study

By: Harrington & Peck

The purpose of this abstract is to provide the administrator with a convenient access to the more important findings of the study, written in relatively non-technical language.

IV
18 1965/ 01

Driving Under Suspension and Revocation: A Study of Suspended and Revoked Drivers Classified as Negligent Operators

By: G. van Oldenbeek & Ronald S. Coppin

To examine a six-year record of 1,326 negligent operators who were suspended or revoked to determine how many continued to drive and how many were convicted of this offense as well as the violation for which they were stopped.

III