NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A West Tennessee lawmaker has proposed a bill that would lower the threshold for blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in aggravated vehicular assault and aggravated vehicular homicide cases.
Rep. Ron Gant (R-Piperton) has filed HB 190, which would lower the BAC threshold for both vehicular crimes. Current law states a person with a BAC of .20% can be charged for aggravated vehicular assault or aggravated vehicular homicide.
Gant’s bill would lower the BAC limit to .15%.
State law makes operating a motor vehicle with a BAC of .08% or higher illegal. The limit is .04% for commercial vehicles.
If passed, the bill would take effect July 1.
Gant is no stranger to proposing laws related to drunken driving offenses. He proposed a bill in 2024 that would prohibit stores from selling refrigerated beer. That bill, titled the “Tennessee Prevention of Drunk Driving Act,” was ultimately rewritten to instead direct the speakers of both the state House and Senate to establish a task force to review impaired driving and boating in Tennessee.
Gant was also involved in a deadly drunk driving crash in 2022. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, a 42-year-old West Tennessee man was killed when the GMC Yukon he was driving crossed a center line on Highway 18 South in Hardeman County and struck a GMC Sierra Gant was driving. Gant was airlifted to a Memphis hospital and was considered to be in “serious but stable” condition.
