Dylan Wolter had the drug ice in his system, a suspended licence, and had been speeding when he ran down an elderly pedestrian as she crossed Mawson Drive.
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Wolter, 22, of Dunlop, was on Thursday sentenced to four years jail for the crash that killed Natalie Ashley.
Mrs Ashley, 80, died instantly when she was struck by a Mazda 3, driven by Wolter, as he travelled to Mawson shops to buy cigarettes about 4.55pm in August 2013.
Last month, an ACT Supreme Court jury found Wolter, of Dunlop, guilty of culpable driving over the death.
During the trial, jurors heard conditions were dry and clear, with light traffic, although the sun's setting caused glare at that time of day.
The stretch of road was said to be wide and straight, with a slight incline and curve, and has a 60kmh limit.
An ACT Policing collision investigator gave evidence that Wolter had accelerated up to 87kmh about 3.5 seconds before the crash and did not brake heavily until about 0.5 seconds before the impact, when the car was going 81kmh.
The vehicle had been travelling at 76kmh – 16 kmh above the limit – at the time of impact.
A medical expert, during the trial, said blood tests revealed Wolter's had 0.14 milligrams of ice per litre of blood, which she considered a high level.
She told the court that ice users were prone to risk-taking behaviour and the drug could dilate the pupils in the eye, which affected the eyes' ability to constrict when affected by light.
Defence barrister James Sabharwal told the court of his client's remorse and intention to write to Mrs Ashley's family to apologise.
Justice Refshauge on Thursday sentenced Wolter to four years jail, backdated to take account time spent in custody, with a non-parole period of two years.
Wolter will be eligible for parole in September 2017.
The judge also fined Wolter $200 and disqualified him from holding a licence for eight years.
In handing down sentence, the judge extended the court's sympathy to the Ashley family.
The court heard Wolter had abused heroin and ice, using up to a gram of heroin daily while still in his teens.
He claimed he had used ice the day before the accident.
The court also heard Wolter's criminal history included 11 convictions for dishonesty.
Justice Refshauge said the cause of the accident had been a combination of speed, and a failure to react to the sun's glare and reduce speed when blinded.
The judge said evidence before the court meant he could not find, beyond a reasonable doubt, that ice had been a major factor in the accident.
"He did not drive to the circumstances," Justice Refshauge said.
"It is not possible to drive safely while blinded."
