Eight ITV regions highlight families’ call for Graduated Driving Licensing

Eight ITV regional news programmes broadcast the voices of families whose children have been killed in road crashes over the last week. Together, they are campaigning for the introduction of Graduated Driving Licensing (GDL) in the UK.

The programmes marked one of the most consistent pieces of coverage on this issue to date. Families spoke powerfully about their experiences of loss and their determination to see change, reaching many thousands of viewers across the country.

One of the most striking interviews came from Keena Entwistle, from Kent, whose 18-year-old son, Ethan, was killed in a crash caused Colby Hammond, who was also 18 at the time of the collision. Hammond was more than twice the drink-drive limit and driving at 75mph in a 30mph zone when the crash occurred. He pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on August 28, 2025 to seven years in prison.

Speaking outside court, Keena described the devastating impact of losing her son and called for the government to act to better protect young people on the roads. She said: "I'm a member of Forget-me-not Families Uniting. We're a group of parents who’ve all lost children in road crashes and we will continue to pester and fight the government until they bring about Graduated Driving Licences. "When it happens to someone they love, they will soon change their mind. They will see the benefit. They will realise our children aren’t statistics. Our children are people - and the government don’t seem to see that."

Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen, the joint roads policing lead for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, was also interviewed as part of every regional programme. Professor Lyndel Bates, from Griffith University in Australia, contributed an international perspective on GDL, explaining how the system has been shown to reduce young driver and passenger deaths in other countries.

The programmes were broadcast across the following ITV regions. You can watch the full reports by clicking the links below:

• Calendar (North and South)

• Central (East)

• Meridian (East)

• Meridian (West)

• West Country (South West)

• Anglia (East and West)
  

Campaigners hope that this level of consistent, joined-up reporting will increase public awareness and build momentum for the adoption of Graduated Driving Licensing in the UK.