"Our young drivers are our future": Bereaved Mum urges Government to prioritise 'Graduated Drivers Licenses'
Ethan Entwistle from Broadstairs died two days before his 19th birthday when the car he was a passenger in crashed into a tree
Last updated 13th Aug 2025
A Kent Mum is demanding urgent action from the Government to implement extra restrictions for new drivers.
It comes as motorists over 70 could be banned from the roads if they fail compulsory eye tests.
'Graduated Driving Licenses' would put limits on those who've just passed their tests including curfews and passenger bans.
Keena Entwistle from Broadstairs lost her son Ethan two days before his 19th birthday when the car he was a passenger in crashed into a tree.
She tells Greatest Hits Radio: "I got the news that no parent wants to get".
Ethan Entwistle died in Broadstairs on 1 October 2023.
"At quarter past four in the morning, I had the police knock at the door to tell me that Ethan had been involved in a serious car crash.
"He died at the scene two days before his nineteenth birthday. I spent his birthday at the mortuary", says Mrs Entwistle who has met MPs in parliament to discuss the campaign for GDLs.
"Graduated drivers licenses would seriously decrease the 1600 16-20 year olds that are killed on Britain's roads every year.
The licenses would extend the learner driver period, ban new drivers aged 17-19 from carrying "peer-aged" passengers for six months, and make motorway and rural road experience mandatory in lessons.
Mrs Entwistle has said she agrees with the recent Government announcement that motorists over 70 could be banned from the roads if they fail compulsory eye tests.
However she argues that young people count for more of our drivers and must be protected.
"I completely agree with the Goverment's decision to make eye tests for drivers over 70 mandatory.
"However our young drivers are our future. They are the ones we need to be protecting."
According to Government research, double the amount of fatal crashes are caused by young people, compared to over 70s.
"I am campaigning for Graduated Drivers Licenses so no parent has to go through the horrific pain that I have.
"It's been absolutely horrendous and I wouldn't wish it upon anybody else."
The Government previously told campaigners that they are not considering introducing Graduated Driving Licenses, but that they have a 10 year road safety strategy and it's a "top priority".