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When William Harris junior showed up to VTNZ Frankton for his restricted driver’s license test, he was unaware that the numbers were already against his approval.
Figures from Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport show that the test medium failed 65 percent of drivers who obtained their restricted license and only passed 35 percent in the year through August.
This is nearly the opposite of the pass rate for Waikato’s friendliest testing site, AA Morrinsville, which passed 61 percent and failed 39 percent during the same period.
Recently released figures confirm a widely publicized belief among beginning drivers that where the test is taken matters, and that Frankton has an especially bad reputation for failed drivers.
Frankton is the same deposit that letticia Pevy failed for her dirty seat when she got her full driver’s license.
READ MORE:
* The Dumbest Reasons You Can Fail Your Driver’s License Test
* Driver fails the VTNZ full license test on the spot due to ‘dirty’ front seat
* Teen forced to retake driving test after ‘running out of time’ due to road works
* Failure rates for the restricted driving test increase as more people attempt the test
Harris Junior has an after-school job, saved, bought his first car, but needed to be restricted to getting to and from his restaurant job.
The 16-year-old’s parents were picking him up at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday night after work.
With his local VTNZ Tauranga booked solidly through September, Harris made the trip to Hamilton’s VTNZ Frankton on July 24 to obtain his restricted license.
About 45 minutes into the test had elapsed as Harris turned from Forest Lake Rd to Carey St when the test officer deemed he made an incorrect turn, although Harris did not know until he returned to the depot.
“He just told me that a driver had to take evasive action to avoid it, which is an automatic failure,” said Harris Junior.
Harris’s father, William Harris, a senior, was in the car during the test and contested the decision.
“I was in the back seat, and I was like hanging for a minute brother, how did you fail? He didn’t want to tell us … And then he said oh, he made a bad turn to the right.
“I said wait friend, he got defensive when I questioned him. “
The assessor described William Junior without the white stripes marking the turning bay entrance and arriving late to the bay. The instructor said a car had to swerve behind him and follow the trail.
“I don’t think there was any car that did that,” Harris senior said. “It felt like I had to fail him at something.”
The family continued to question the decision at the warehouse.
Having already paid $ 160 to sit in their restricted, they paid an additional $ 86.60 to reserve for reinstatement on July 27, causing jitters in Harris junior.
“The first one wasn’t nervous, but after failing, I think that really weakens your confidence because you walk in ready to do it and you think you’ve done well, then you start questioning yourself,” Harris Junior said.
Harris Junior missed a second time and admits it was a 50/50 call with a stoplight that turned orange when he went through an intersection.
Once again, Harris senior questions the decision.
“He said he saw your foot on the brake which was shit. It went through an orange light, it never accelerated, it wasn’t red, it just kept going. If it had stopped in the middle of the intersection, who knows what would have happened. “
The couple say the test officer said Harris Junior could have stopped due to the car’s ABS braking.
“He said everything else was fine, he said you drive well, but his orange light failed. In the future, you’ll want to go to Morrinsville, one is a little easier. “
A spot was made available at VTNZ in Tauranga and while it was not a flawless test, Harris Junior passed and is now a restricted pilot.
VTNZ Operations Support Manager James Law said in a written statement that they were aware of the difference between Frankton’s approval rate and others in the region.
“There are many reasons for the variations in rates between different test areas. All tests are carried out on a predefined route, with a series of specific driving tasks, such as left turns, right turns, lane changes, at predetermined locations. Routes vary between test areas for the simple reason that roads vary between each area, ”Law said.
“All tests are carried out using a test drive tablet that predefines all accessible tasks for all test drives. The accessible tasks are based on the NZTA Driving Test Officials Manual, which sets out all pass and fail criteria for driving tests, ”Law said.
The NZTA and VTNZ periodically audit the test drive officers to make sure they are conducting the test drives to the required standard.
Law said they are discussing with VTNZ Frankton how the team handles practical driving tests.
“An important safety aspect of the driving test is the report that the driving test officer gives upon completion of a test. Our test drive officers provide specific feedback to applicants, so they know what they have done well and what they need to work on.
“It’s not about pass or fail rates, it’s about road safety.”
VTNZ said that some of the most common reasons people don’t succeed in their driving tests were not yielding to traffic, traveling 10 km / h over the speed limit, not stopping at a stop sign, not check head and mirrors when necessary.