An evaluation of three alternative formats for probation violator hearings

The purpose of the project was to improve the traffic safety impact and net benefits of the negligent operator probation violator hearing conducted by the California Department of Motor Vehicles. The three hearing formats evaluated varied in several aspects including use of license restrictions (rather than suspension or revocation), hearing duration, use of negotiation and contingency contracting, and use of caseload assignment. The two experimental programs differed primarily in the timing of restriction removal, one employing a single fixed-interval restriction and the other a sequential multiphase restriction strategy. The licensing actions used at the project entry hearing were more liberal than anticipated in all hearing formats. The standard hearing format was superior to the others both in overall traffic safety impact and net benefits. The differences between hearing formats in fatal and injury accidents and in countable convictions tended to favor the standard format. Implementation of either alternative format would probably (p≈.80) result in a decline in program net benefits. The application of a behavior modification paradigm was not successful in the project reported here.