Recently we have seen troubling trends in both highway safety, and impaired driving. 25% of fatal crash-involved drivers tested positive for multiple impairing substances, compared with 18% prior to the pandemic. The number of DWI arrests have plummeted while impaired driving fatalities increased by 14% in 2020, an additional 14% in 2021, and continue to trend in the wrong direction. The impact of the COVID pandemic, the increase in states legalizing recreational marijuana and the prevalence of polysubstance use have forced practitioners to reevaluate approaches in addressing impaired driving. This interactive presentation will provide research that explains the changes we are seeing with the DWI population as well as approaches to address this growing crisis. Participants will learn best practices in supervision strategies, available countermeasures, issues surrounding polysubstance use and testing to help criminal justice and treatment professionals maximize their effectiveness in reducing risk to the community.
