title: A traffic safety evaluation of California's traffic violator school citation dismissal policy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study evaluated California's traffic violator school (TVS) citation dismissal policy.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study identified and compared two large samples of drivers either completing a TVS (N=210,015) or convicted of a traffic citation (N=168,563).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prior to adjudication, the TVS group had characteristics (e.g., lower prior conviction rate and smaller proportion of males) that were predictive of a lower subsequent crash risk. However, the TVS group exhibited significantly more crashes than did the convicted group in the subsequent one-year period. The difference (4.83%) increased to 10% after adjusting for the more favorable characteristics of the TVS group. The TVS group also had a higher adjusted subsequent crash rate at each prior driver record entry level, reflecting a loss in the general and specific deterrence of the non-conviction masked status of TVS dismissed citations. It was reported that the TVS dismissal policy results in approximately 12,300 additional crashes annually with economic costs of approximately $398,000,000.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The avoidance of licensing actions resulting from the dismissal policy assists in explaining why the driving public is exposed to an increased crash risk. A number of recommendations are offered to reduce the negative traffic safety impact of the TVS citation dismissal policy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Motor Vehicles Research and Development Branch 2570 24th Street, MS: H126 Sacramento, CA 95818, USA. mgebers@dmv.ca.gov
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gebers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001336:Automobiles / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D015982:Bias; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D057216:Propensity Score; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D012449:Safety / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012574:Schools / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D013223:Statistics as Topic