Judicial Education

BACKGROUND

In 2018, 36,560 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States and an estimated 2.5 million people were injured in 2017. Alcohol-impaired driving plays a significant role in motor vehicle crashes.  In 2018, 29 percent of motor vehicle fatalities occurred in alcohol-impaired crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcyclist that had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 grams per deciliter or more. Moreover, data suggests drug-impaired driving is a significant concern. In NHTSA’s most recent National Roadside Survey conducted in 2013/2014, the survey found that approximately 22 percent of drivers tested positive for drugs that may impair driving.

There are several effective countermeasures that can address impaired driving, including enforcement of impaired driving laws. From arrest to prosecution to adjudication, each stage of the criminal justice system plays a role to reduce motor vehicle crashes due to alcohol and drug impaired driving. The Judiciary plays a critical role in deterring unsafe driving behaviors and assigning appropriate consequences for impaired driving. Procedural, substantive, and scientific education is vital to the adjudication of complex impaired driving cases. To that end, peer-to-peer training, education, and outreach have been found to be most effective in promoting proven and promising practices to the judiciary.

The judiciary is in a unique position to impact drivers who are convicted of impaired driving. While critical deterrents, fines and imprisonment, alone, have been insufficient to deter repeat offenders, judicial education helps judges better understand the behavior of impaired driving arrestees as well as the underlying causes. Judicial education will help educate judges on the procedural and scientific complexities of hearing an impaired driving case and the alternative sentencing options that offer promise to deter repeat offenders.  

NHTSA seeks creative applications that also measure the effectiveness of educational programming for our Nation’s judiciary, who adjudicate impaired driving cases. NHTSA is also looking to identify the educational needs of the judiciary in the area of alcohol and drug impaired driving, create new and update existing educational courses, evaluate each course and update courses based on the evaluation results. NHTSA anticipates that courses for lawyer and non-lawyer judges will be developed under the Agreement.

The purpose of this Cooperative Agreement (CA or Agreement) is to expand judicial knowledge on issues presented in impaired driving cases, provide technical assistance on impaired driving, and measure the effectiveness of these activities. NHTSA will provide financial assistance to stimulate the Recipient to provide technical assistance to judges who hear impaired driving cases and, in the development, and presentation of training relating to the following:

• Use of evidence-based and improved court, sentencing and supervision practices;
• Toxicology, scientific evidence, drug impaired driving detection and screening methods;
• Use of Ignition Interlock by state and local judges
• Use of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) Courts in state and local courts;

In addition to focusing on the overall judiciary that adjudicates impaired driving cases, the technical assistance and development of training should focus on these specific groups:

• Non-lawyer judges who hear traffic matters; and
• Special judicial audiences, such as the military and tribal courts.

Miscellaneous

• Other