I had one fail not more than a month ago. I was standing right beside the nozzle and i can heard the usual sound of the full tank and was reaching for the nozzle. It was impressive how much fuel spilt and i was so close.
And for "Who the hell gets back in, Thats a young people thing IMHO, as us old over weight out of shape type have to struggle too hard.
This is a good video on the static fires.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KK48hQ78Kk
Anecdotal. I get in if it’s really bitterly cold, otherwise I hang out at the window and play with the dog. If I do get in while pumping, I make every attempt to discharge on the door jamb before I grab the pump.
Despite the fact that I don’t always get into the car, I still appreciate the trigger hold because I have carpal tunnel and tendonitis in my hands and wrists. It’s quite painful sometimes, especially on bitterly cold days, to squeeze and hold the trigger. I have no idea where the full service stations are, nor could I likely afford it the extra expense.
My husband does not get in unless it’s really bitterly cold as well and warned me about static discharge. 99% of the time he’s washing the windows.
Wisconsin and Minnesota both have trigger latches, hundred of thousands of cars filling up at gas stations hundreds of thousands of times a day.
They both have long winters and people often sit in their cars when filling up to keep out of the cold.
How many times a year do I hear about gas station fires? None. Zero. Zilch.
Your odds of starting a fire while pumping gas are probably a hundred times lower than getting struck by lightning. I’d even label it a complete non-issue.
To me it’s a completely overblown issue and states that have outlawed the trigger locks are completely paranoid bufoons.
Agreed (Sorry Rhode Island)…
Hopefully I won’t find a severed horse’s head in my bed tonight for my concurrence.
Oh, yeah? Just because you don’t hear about them doesn’t mean they don’t happen. Granted, at least one of these fires was not caused by refueling, and the other one possibly not. Still, that’s two–count 'em–two gas station fires you apparently didn’t hear about that I found in an extremely cursory search. I agree it’s not a huge risk, but it’s most certainly a nonzero one.
Lame :rolleyes:. One was caused presumably by the furnace inside the gas station (not at the pumps) and the other one also started inside the building while the gas station was closed.
I don’t understand what your issue is. Is it your contention that ESD-related gas station fires don’t occur or that they are so rare that you think it’ll never happen to you? the first one is wrong; the second, while probably correct, is just plain stupid when you consider how easily preventable they are.
Gbro’s YouTube link is a much better example. Notice that the girl handled the situation very well. As a result, the event might never even have been reported to the authorities, much less any news channel. Yet it was a very dangerous event.
Most accidents of any type, even those that cause injury, are not reported by any news medium at all. Even a fatal accident isn’t likely to be reported beyond local channels unless it’s particularly spectacular and someone gets good video, or it happens to be a really slow news day.
I contend that they are so rare that “yes” it is essentially a non-issue.
Pretty much everything we do in our daily lives contains a bit of risk. Walk down steps you may trip, chew gum and you may choke on it, sit in a rocking chair you might tip over backwards, etc. etc. etc. (ad nauseum).
All easily preventable. Don’t walk down stairs, don’t chew gum, don’t sit in a rocking chair.
To me the convenience to the multi-millions of people who use a gas pump trigger lock outweighs the 1:1,000,000,000,000,000,000 odds of starting an ESD fire.
Of course, requiring customers to stand there and hold the trigger on the gas pump makes them captive customers for the ad-blasting TVs that many stations are installing now. Plus it reduces the number of people washing their windshields, and using up the stations washer fluid.
Just a couple more ways for the oil companies to make more money!
I don’t know whether this is accurate or not, but
you’re sounding a little like Irwin Mainway to me here.
I haven’t seen one with a TV. At one station I was pleased to find a “Mute” button on the little box that blasts audio advertisements.