Driving test failed over hairy seat

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Driving test failed over hairy seat

3News NZ

Dog Jake's hair caused Christina Boortman to fair her driving test

Dog Jake's hair caused Christina Boortman to fair her driving test

Christina Boortman really enjoys driving. She's on a restricted license and thinks she's a pretty good driver.

She uses her grandma's car to practise, and Granny's dog Jake likes to ride pillion.

Little did Ms Boortman know that 10-year-old Jake would end up causing her quite a bit of trouble.

First thing yesterday morning, she set off to sit her full practical driving test at the AA Centre at Westgate in West Auckland.

She arrived early, feeling a little nervous but quietly confident.

Her tester came out 15 minutes late.

“He went to hop down in the seat, and then if you notice here there's a tiny bit of dog hair,” Ms Boortman says.

“He wouldn't hop in the car and he said ‘I’m gonna fail you for this’, and I was like, ‘what? Why?’ He was like, ‘it's unhygienic, your car's too dirty’, and he wouldn't let me even drive.”

She had been practising for her test for weeks and couldn't believe it.

“He was like ‘oh it doesn't matter, your car's too dirty. You've failed.'”

Her mother, Raewyn Boortman, was also in shock.

“I was angry. I just couldn't believe it. I thought you can't fail somebody because of that reason,” she says.

On the form filled out by the tester, he has written "vehicle fault - the seat is covered in dog hair. Need to have a clean out."

Ms Boortman’s grandmother had the car cleaned the Wednesday before the test.

Mrs Boortman has complained to the New Zealand Transport Agency.

“If it's for religious reasons or health reasons or even if he didn't like a dog, wouldn't they just put in another instructor to still take her for her licence? It's just not right.”

The New Zealand transport agency says the tester checked with his health and safety officer and his regional manager, and both agreed it was reasonable to decline the test.

Her complaint is still being investigated.

Watch the video to see the full story.

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Comments

27/11/2012 11:52:36 a.m.

Karl wrote:

Thats a bit extreme failing her for dog hair. My car failed this morning because the horn decided to pack a sad and stop working when it was working minutes before the test started... Instructor wouldnt give me 5 mins to fix it and just failed me straight away, again at westgate - now i have to pay the money again. TOTAL REVENUE GATHERING its crap

10/09/2012 10:19:44 a.m.

tina wrote:

i think its more like a biased thing or money making tactics people cant afford to reset test everytime they fail i know some people who have fail and they have no intention of sitting the test again

5/07/2012 6:51:05 a.m.

Victor wrote:

bravo to the testing officer, just imagine the opposit situation - you book a driving lesson and instructor arrives in the vehicle with a dog hair on the sit - would you get in? even you are the dog lover? I don't think so. TV 3 should make a programm about poor personal hygiene culture in this country. I'm happy to help, as have a few photos of the vehicles, which were presented for WOF in disgusting state inside. You would not beleive what you will see. Of cause it is human right to do whatever you like inside your vehicle but...

21/06/2012 10:20:59 p.m.

Lucas wrote:

First and foremost, I think she should receive a refund as a result of the driver being late. and secondly does the instructor think money grows on trees. sitting your licence isn't cheap and failing for such a ludicrous reason is stupifying. He needs to man up, or find another job. A lot of people would feel like giving the instructor a twack over the head.

19/06/2012 9:00:03 p.m.

jan. wrote:

Its has always been that way to have a resonable and a clean car clean person for test driving.. I past my driving test on the Humber80 years ago and she was spotless and shine but whats your excuise with the new morden motorcar these days.. Rethink..

19/06/2012 1:16:21 p.m.

stu wrote:

here is a link to the restricted driving test on the nzta website. nowhere in there does it say that your car has to be clean and tidy.... maybe they need to update this to includ everything that can fail you.

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/licence/photo/docs/restricted-test-guide.pdf

19/06/2012 8:37:19 a.m.

Mike wrote:

I've sat in a car seat which a dog used - it stunk. Just sitting in the seat for 30 minutes left me stinking of dog for the rest of the day.

Unrestrained anything in a car is a bad idea in an accident. Remember the road saftey adds with the all-black holding the baby and it going straight through the windscreen? Well, pet missiles are bigger and do more damage.

I've also been in another vehicle where the pet owner had a dog that lived in the vehicle for about 6 hours a day, but with regular dog washing and regular cleaning the car didn't stink of dog.

It may be the dog smell is strong, but those used to it didn't notice the smell?

Did the car get a cleanout after the fail for the camera?

16/06/2012 7:44:04 p.m.

Typical wrote:

It is obvious they have been told to fail at LEAST 50%, so as to show their commintment to Safer Roads. As with any government sponsored initiative, the lackies just toe the line, and return the required KPI's. It's pathetic.

16/06/2012 1:50:14 p.m.

Dave Bijoux wrote:

My name is Dave and I am a recovering neurotic. I would like to speak up on behalf of all neurotics. Things like dog hair, people walking around without crash helmets on, coffee that is TOO HOT, eft-post buttons that have germs, toilet flush buttons that have germs, people breathing all represent serious threats to our health and safety every day. People need to understand that this debilitating disease is with us for LIFE and I can only sympathise with the instructor. This is a SERIOUS health and safety issue and I am right now going through all my coping strategies to deal with having seen this.

15/06/2012 8:28:02 p.m.

Warren wrote:

I suspect the tester being 15min late had more to do with the test being canned than any dog hair. She should get a refund?