In 2022, 13,524 people died in the United States as a result of impaired driving incidents; 13.5 million people aged 16 or older reported driving under the influence of alcohol in the past year and 11.7 million reported driving under the influence of drugs. Although the exact data on drug-impaired driving remains unclear, resulting from limitations on testing for impairing drugs, nonetheless, the psychological, physiological and psychomotor effects of drugs on the critical skills needed to drive increase the risk of fatal crashes. This program focuses on the impact of impairing medication and illicit drugs on the complex task of driving, detecting drug-impaired driving, and the court’s role in crafting sentences and sanctions that effectively address drug-impaired driving, including participation in a DUI court.
- Understand the impact of certain categories of prescription, over-the-counter and illicit drugs on driving ability and skills.
- Explain the purpose and role of a drug recognition expert on determining impairment.
- Evaluate the opportunity to address the dangers of drug-impaired driving through recovery court intervention.
Presenter Bio
Judge Kate Huffman served as a Montgomery County General Division Judge from 2002 until February, 2023. During her tenure, she presided over the Montgomery County RISE (Recovery Is Empowering) Court, which provides gender-specific supervision of female offenders struggling with substance use disorder, and previously presided over the court’s Drug Court. In February, 2023, she began working as a judge with the Second District Court of Appeals. Judge Huffman received her B.A. in political science from Wright State University, an M.A. in Judicial Studies from the University of Nevada, and her J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law. She earned a Certificate in Judicial Development General Jurisdiction Trial Skills and a Certificate in Judicial Development Dispute Resolution Skills from the National Judicial College.
Judge Huffman provides peer-to-peer technical and education assistance related to impaired driving and specialized docket issues to judges around the country as the American Bar Association National Judicial Fellow, and previously served as the ABA’s Ohio Judicial Outreach Liaison.
