Trying and failing to pass your driving test can be extremely frustrating, so one son decided to step in for his mum following her three unsuccessful attempts.
As you’re probably aware, driving tests aren’t something you can just hand off to someone else to complete for you when you decide you’ve had enough of them. The entire point of the exam is to prove you’re good enough to be in charge of a vehicle, so having someone else get behind the wheel and show off to the examiner entirely defies the point.
After failing her driving test three times, though, 60-year-old Maria decided to let her son Heitor Schiave take over – regardless of the fact it was an immoral and dangerous idea.
Take a look at what happened when police learned of Heitor’s actions:
In an attempt to get away with the controversial plan and convince the examiner he was in fact the 60-year-old woman he claimed to be, 43-year-old Heitor, from Porto Velho, north Brazil, dressed up in a floral blouse and long flowing skirt.
Of course, the outfit alone wouldn’t have been enough to fool the person in charge of the driving test. Given that their entire job relies on observing drivers, I think it’s safe to say they’d be good at spotting the little things like, oh, a man pretending to be his mum.
Heitor completed his look with a full face of make up, red nail varnish and a blow dry which turned his hair into the soft style his mum tends to wear.
Now, I’ve made my disapproval of this plan clear, but I have to say that when Heitor completed his transformation he made a very convincing woman. It would be easy to believe he really was Maria, especially when all you had to compare him to was a small ID photo.
On Tuesday, December 10, Heitor took a seat behind the wheel and got ready to attempt ‘Maria’s’ fourth driving test.
Unfortunately, however, the dedicated son didn’t quite manage to nail the vocal side of the impersonation and the driving instructor, Aline Mendonça, became suspicious of the ‘woman’ with the ‘unusually high pitched voice’.
Heitor’s large hands were also a giveaway and, after sensing something wasn’t quite right with the situation, the driving instructor decided to double check the ID of the person sitting the exam – a move which resulted in the downfall of Maria and her son’s plan.
Mendonça, examiner for Rondonia’s State Traffic Department, told police:
His disguise didn’t register as unusual at first because I had just finished testing my fifth candidate so was a little distracted.
However, when I got into the car and sat down beside who I thought was the provisional driver, I quickly realised this was a man dressed as a woman.
I asked him to show me his identity to verify who he was and it was soon clear he was not the person who had booked to sit the test. I then called the police as his actions had to be reported as a crime.
Needless to say, the outcome of the situation was for the best. No matter how many family members might be willing to help her out, Maria needs to pass the test for herself.
Heitor was arrested for impersonating his mum, though he argued he was only trying to help.
Mendonça warned:
We operate a rigorous and high examining standard. People who think they can circumvent the rules to drive should think again.
Heitor faces charges of identity fraud and attempting to deceive a government body. He has been released on bail while detectives open an investigation.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.