‘God’s got a reason for me to still be here’: House rep. talks dangers of impaired driving

HARDEMAN COUNTY, Tenn. — One Tennessee lawmaker is sharing his own personal story to shine a light on the dangers of impaired driving.

According to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, 1 out of 3 fatal crashes in Tennessee involve a DUI.

It’s a statistic lawmakers like Representative Ron Gant say highlights the urgent need for stronger impaired driving laws.

“On average, we have 18,000 DUI’s that occur in one year’s time where somebody was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol,” said Rep. Gant.

In April 2025, Rep. Gant passed a bill that enhances the penalty for aggravated vehicular homicide and assault in Tennessee. The bill will lower the blood alcohol concentration level from .20% to 0.15%.

Gant isn’t just pushing for change, he’s lived it. He was the victim of a crash involving a drunk driver in 2022.

“You know, it was one of those moments where I was driving, and all of a sudden everything went black, and you know then I finally came to a stop,” said Rep. Gant.

Rep. Gant sustained multiple injuries including broken arms, a broken leg and much more.

“And it took me 2 and half years–three surgeries to get back to where I am today,” said Rep. Gant.

“When you go through something like that and you realize that ‘Hey, you know, I survived something here and God’s got a reason for me to still be here.’ So, I think that, in my mind, it is an obligation for me to take an opportunity to educate others about preventative measures that can be taken,” said Rep. Gant.

Rep. Gant says he will continue to push for DUI reform efforts that make our roads safer.

Rep. Gant says his goal is to bring awareness to drunk driving and strengthen tennessee laws to make people think twice before driving intoxicated.

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