How Tesla car prevented high school student from passing driving test

A New Jersey teenager failed his driver's test not for his driving, but due to the vehicle he used, a

Tesla Model Y

, a report claims. The examiner failed the teenager, alleging that his car’s advanced features provided an unfair advantage during high school junior Lochlan Keefer's recent road test in Cherry Hill. On the testing slip, the state examiner noted (as seen by NJ.com): "Had the parking and stopping assistance on, never stepped on the brake to stop his self, let the vehicle stop itself." The examiner claimed the car's

regenerative braking

and alleged driver-assistance systems gave the student an unfair edge.

What the teenager’s father said about his son failing the driving test

James Keefer, the student’s father, attempted to explain to the instructor that these advanced Model Y features were not being utilised. The father said: “The examiner accused my son of using driver assistance features simply because he parallel parked smoothly on the first try.""He was specifically accused of using paid parking-assist and driving features, which we do not subscribe to,” Keefer added.

The vehicle does have regenerative braking, a feature Keefer’s son offered to disable multiple times but was told it was unnecessary by the instructor. However, after the test, "despite no safety issues and no actual driving faults, the examiner claimed driver assistance was active and retroactively said it should have been off,” Keefer added.The student driver was instructed to wait 14 days before retaking the test, this time without the braking system active. A supervisor supported the instructor's decision to fail the student. The father claimed he was not shown any policy that had been violated and described the supervisor's demeanour as "belligerent and unprofessional."However, later on, his son took the test in a different part of New Jersey named Delanco and passed without disabling the regenerative braking."The examiner at Delanco was fully aware of the regenerative braking feature and had no issues conducting the test under these conditions, further illustrating the inconsistency in interpretation or enforcement of non-existent MVC policies regarding regenerative braking," his father noted.