NATION : Driver Test for 367-Lb. Woman

A hearing examiner today ordered a 367-pound woman to take a driving test to prove that she poses no threat to other motorists despite her size, her lawyer said.

Regina Guy, 25, a member of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Fat Acceptance, and her lawyer, Christopher Brown, said the state agency’s action is a clear case of discrimination.

“We want respect and we are demanding respect,” said Guy, who said she has been heavy most of her life. “A lot of fat people have been discriminated against.”

“I feel that the only reason she has been singled out was because of her size and weight,” Brown said. “There’s an underlying feeling that if you’re fat, you’re incompetent.”

A Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration examiner ordered Guy, a 5-foot, 6 1/2-inch nursing assistant, to take the test again after reviewing a statement from a police officer who stopped her in July for driving through the Harbor Tunnel with the car’s high beams on. The officer said Guy was sitting in the middle of the seat, using her left foot on the pedals, when he stopped her.

Guy said the officer who stopped her--who she said weighed “250 pounds plus”--never mentioned her weight.