This report presents results of an evaluation of a pilot program intended to increase licensure among improperly licensed California motorcycle owners. The intervention used in this pilot program involved mailing an official DMV contact letter to owners of currently-registered motorcycles who were not properly licensed to ride two-wheeled vehicles. This correspondence informed the recipient of the legal consequences of riding without proper licensure, and provided information regarding how to obtain a motorcycle license in California. Half of the improperly licensed motorcycle owners (n = 33,068) were randomly assigned to be mailed the contact letter. The remainder (n = 32,698) served as a no-letter control group. The 33-month subsequent-to-mailing license status and 18-month subsequent-to-mailing driver records for participants in these two groups were compared to determine the effect of the letter on motorcycle licensure, crashes, and violations. The results indicate that the contact letter increased motorcycle licensure among most age groups of owners, but did not affect crash involvements or traffic violations. The contact letter increased the number of previously unlicensed owners who became legal motorcycle operators without increasing their crash or traffic violation rates, but at a total net cost of $25.81 per additional owner who became properly licensed as a result of sending the letters. While the letter treatment significantly increased the motorcycle licensure rate, the overwhelming majority of treated owners in the present study (85.5%) remained improperly licensed to operate two-wheeled vehicles on public roadways, which is consistent with the results from a similar study in Maryland (Braver et al., 2007). Given the relatively low cost of treatment, the increase in motorcycle licensure associated with the letter, and the traffic-safety neutral outcomes, it is recommended that future use of a contact letter for improperly licensed owners be considered if the value of bringing owners into legal licensing status is deemed to be worth the cost of treatment. Future letters may be more effective if they are specifically tailored to the demographic characteristics (e.g., age and sex) of the unlicensed owners. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting