A week after the Shattered Lives program was presented to Concordia Lutheran students, teenage drinking and driving was a hot topic again last week as Harris County Criminal Judge Donald Jackson spoke to the Tomball Rotary Club at its April 29 meeting.

Pictured, Harris County Criminal Judge Donald Jackson discussed the issue of teenage drinking and driving at the April 29 meeting of the Tomball Rotary Club.

Jackson discussed what he believes to be an increasing problem in teenagers getting behind the wheel of a vehicle after having too much to drink.

“More teenagers are ending up in jail for DWI,” he said. “The cars are faster, there is more traffic and they face more dangers.”

He said teenagers “really don’t understand the consequences of their actions” and often feel as if they are “bulletproof.”

“I believe it’s gotten scarier and scarier for the kids out there,” Jackson added.

Jackson, whose court tries misdemeanor cases, has presided over more than 60,000 cases in his 18 years on the bench. Of those, he said approximately 40 percent are DWI cases.

Texas drunk driving laws state that upon a first conviction, a driver may lose their license for up to a year, and for up to two years on a second offense. Jackson added that while someone may only earn probation for a drunk driving conviction, there is no deferred adjudication for a DWI offense.

“It will never be wiped off their record,” he said. “Never.”

Jackson praised programs such as Project Graduation, which provides graduating seniors with an alternative entertainment option rather than going to parties were alcohol may be present, therefore preventing them from getting on the streets after a night of drinking.

“Things like that really do have an impact on your community,” he said.

A recent survey conducted in Texas schools on substance abuse among students in grades 7 through 12 showed that 24 percent of high school seniors said they drove a car after having several drinks at least once in the past year. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, that number represents 80,000 impaired drivers on Texas road annually.

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