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Tom Lee / Stuff
Letticia Pevy’s passenger seat was deemed a health and safety hazard.
A Hamilton woman was left in tears after failing a full driver’s license test as soon as the testing officer opened the passenger door.
Letticia Pevy, 38, has had her license restricted for the past 16 years, but the job requirements meant she needed to have her full license.
The mother of five had prepared herself. She even went through a practice test with AA on Monday before taking the test on Wednesday, August 26 at VTNZ Frankton.
However, the evidence officer failed him on the spot. The reason? A dirty front seat in his black Mazda MFP. The licensing officer cited it as a Covid-19 risk.
“I said, if it’s because of Covid, I actually have something on my phone to say that I took a test recently and it’s negative,” Pevy said. Stuff. “There is no way I am posing a risk to you or my car. I have masks and disinfectants, is there anything I can get you to sit on? “
The answer was no. He sent her the mandatory failure email, which did not give an explanation, just that she had not passed for health and safety reasons.
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The test officer was not wearing any PPE.
Pevy said he was aware that a clean and tidy passenger seat for the test officer was a pre-test requirement and thought he had done a good enough job.
“I have five children and a dog; I admit that he will never be immaculate, but I thought he was clean enough, that he was not going to remove anything from his clothes.”
Pevy feels she is a safe driver when judged on her performance alone. Now she has had a completely different level of being judged and she took it personally.
Tom Lee / Stuff
The seat of the Mazda MPV that saw Letticia Pevy fail her full driver’s license at Frankton VTNZ.
“Being told that your car is a health and safety hazard, I don’t think in my adult life I have felt so mortified and ashamed. I ended up crying in my car for 45 minutes.
“I was devastated a couple of nights before. I had a couple of those dreams, and what if, thoughts. In fact, I think I’d been through every possible scenario, having a messy vehicle didn’t even occur to me. “
It cost Pevy $ 109.50 for the test which was prepaid. Initially, they would not refund or rebook your exam.
Her husband Chris called the warehouse Wednesday afternoon and spoke with the manager, who told him they would investigate.
He had not heard from them six days later and even suggested that they were avoiding his calls.
Stuff He requested an interview with VTNZ on Wednesday at 11.04am and by 1.50pm VTNZ had contacted Pevy, apologized and gave him a free resit.
Tom Lee / Stuff
Letticia Pevy needed her full license to work, but a “dirty seat” saw her fail before she started.
VTNZ would not conduct an interview with Stuffbut offered an email statement from Operations Support Manager James Law, who said that as a designated service provider for Waka Kotahi, New Zealand Transport Agency, your top priority is ensuring the safety and well-being of all your clients and team members.
“As we progress through different levels of Covid-19 alert, we follow strict health and safety procedures while conducting test drives.
“We periodically update the procedures in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Health.”
While Pevy appeared for his test on Aug. 26, Law said that as of Aug. 31, all driving test officers must wear masks when taking driving tests or interacting with clients where social distancing is not possible.
VTNZ was asked why Pevy was not allowed to remedy the problem and retest; how a seat is considered dirty or a health and safety concern; and if there were consequences for the evaluator.
In response, Law addressed the pre-test check that driving test officers must complete.
VTNZ has now offered Pevy the opportunity to re-test at VTNZ in Te Awamutu at no charge.
