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:
Departamento de Vehículos Motorizados
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| 240 | 2013/ 03 |
Teen and Senior Drivers – Report 240This report updates statistical information on California teen and senior drivers as published in earlier reports prepared by the California Department of Motor Vehicles: Teen Driver Facts (Huston, 1986), Senior Driver Facts (Huston & Janke, 1986), Teen and Senior Drivers (Romanowicz & Gebers, 1990; Gebers, Romanowicz, & McKenzie, 1993; Aizenberg & McKenzie, 1997 [with the Beverly Foundation]; and Janke, Masten, McKenzie, Gebers, & Kelsey, 2003). The information is meant to assist highway safety administrators in making program and policy decisions affecting teen and senior drivers, and may also be of use to the insurance industry, traffic safety researchers, and the general public. The report also summarizes international research on the driving safety and driving-related abilities of teen and senior drivers, and on crash countermeasures for these two groups. |
VI | |
| 67.1 | 1978/ 09 |
Executive Summary of Medically Impaired Drivers: An Evaluation of California Policy (Senate Bill 2033 – Garcia)To evaluate the Department's licensing policies and practices relative to drivers with mental or physical conditions which might affect their ability to drive safely. |
VI | |
| 81.1 | 1986/ 01 |
Teen Driver Facts – Report 81.1To provide a quick reference on the characteristics of teenage drivers. |
VI | |
| NRN073 | 1975/ 06 |
A Customized Approach to the Drinking Driver (Senate Concurrent Resolution 44 – Harmer)(1) to explore the validity and effectiveness of drinking-driver classification systems, (2) to evaluate the use of medical advisory boards to classify drinking drivers, and (3) to evaluate various drinking-driver programs. |
VI | |
| NRN076 | 1986/ 11 |
Mature Driver Core Curriculum Project Literature ReviewTo review the technical literature on the driving performance of elderly people, as an aid to setting up the curriculum for California's Mature Driver Improvement Program. |
VI | |
| NRN079 | 1990/ 03 |
Drugs and Traffic Safety: Is There a Nexus?To examine the evidence for a connection, causal or otherwise, between drug use and accidents. |
VI | |
| NRN082 | 1993/ 01 |
Reportable Medical Conditions and Driver RiskTo describe California's medical reporting law, discuss the literature on medical conditions and crash risk, and present crash rates of California's medically impaired drivers and some aspects of how California DMV deals with medically enhanced driver risk. |
VI | |
| 111 | 1987/ 01 |
Accident and Conviction Rates of Visually Impaired Heavy Vehicle OperatorsThis study was designed to determine whether waiving the federal static acuity standard adversely impacted traffic safety. Drivers for whom the standard was waived could drive commercially only within California. Two-year accident and conviction rates of visually impaired commercial heavyvehicle operators (class 1 or 2 licensees) were compared to those of a sample of visually nonimpaired commercial heavy-vehicle operators. Nonimpaired drivers met current federal acuity standards (corrected acuity of 20/40 or better in both eyes), while impaired drivers had substandard static acuity and were classified as either moderately (corrected acuity between 20/40 and 20/200 in the worse eye) or severely (corrected acuity worse than 20/200 in the worse eye) impaired. California and total mileage estimates for Class 1 and Class 2 drivers obtained in a mailed questionnaire did not differ significantly between impairment groups. However, other potentially biasing factors remained and are discussed. Analysis of covariance, with age as a covariate, revealed that on subsequent two-year driver records the visually impaired drivers had significantly, and substantially, more total accidents and convictions than did the nonimpaired drivers. Severely impaired drivers had directionally worse driver records than did the moderately impaired drivers on three of the four traffic safety measures assessed, but these differences were not statistically significant. Study findings led to qualified support for the stricter federal standard, particularly in the case of the severely impaired heavy-vehicle operator. |
VI | |
| 141 | 1993/ 09 |
Teen and Senior Drivers – Report 141This report updates information on teen and senior drivers published in earlier California Department of Motor Vehicles' reports. Teen Driver Facts (Huston, 1986), Senior Driver Facts (Huston & Janke, 1986), and Teen and Senior Drivers (romanowicz & Gebers, 1990). The information is meant to assist Highway safety administrators in making program and policy decisions affecting teen and senior drivers, and may also be of use to the insurance industry, traffic safety researchers, and the general public. The report also summarizes research on risk-taking and alcohol consumption among teen drivers and on the increase in impairment of driving-related abilities among senior driers. Countermeasures for teen and senior drivers are also discussed. |
VI |