# The dangers of gas stations? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 1, 2023, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139 "2023-02-01T03:52:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/22 "2023-02-01T13:05:38Z")
In Ontario, it is only disabled about half the time and you could walk away or go in your car. But I’ve never seen anyone do that. They just rest their hands or complain to the guy at the next pump about the high prices. Maybe I’m the only guy who tries to use them, out of boredom and curiosity more than need. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/23 "2023-02-01T13:06:14Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > if you’re dressed appropriately it shouldn’t be that big a deal to stand outside for as long as it takes to fill up. Maybe in the cold, but what about when there’s a rainstorm and it’s windy enough that there’s really no way to be outside your car for more than 30 seconds without getting soaked. I’ll admit, if I’m on my way home, I can deal with it, but I’d prefer not spend my entire workday with a soaking wet hoodie or worse, shoes. > [@enipla](#): > > I might start the pump going and go into the gas station to pee. That’s the only time I can think of in recent history that I’ve seen them turn someone’s pump off (because he was in the building). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/24 "2023-02-01T13:12:01Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > Do you drive around with snow pants, coat, hat, scarf, and gloves on? If not, how long do you spend getting dressed before pumping your gas? My car is in our integral garage. When I get to work I park five feet from the back door. I wear at most a hoodie all winter, except for the rare days when temperatures drop below zero. Pumping gas is uncomfortable in the winter. I use the latch to pump hands free, but I don’t get back in the vehicle, I clean my lights, plate, rear plastic window. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/25 "2023-02-01T13:33:15Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > My understanding is that one of the sources of static electricity is people getting back in their car while the tank fills. The they get out of the car and the first thing they touch is the handle at the gas tank, which maybe causes a spark, and if there are any fumes…anyway, there are videos. This. > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > What are they doing in the car? Combing their hair while rubbing their feet real fast on the carpet? It’s commonly believed that rubbing is the main factor in generating static electrical charge, but it’s simply the making and breaking of contact between surfaces. > **[Static electricity | Contact-induced charge separation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_electricity#Contact-induced_charge_separation)** > > Electrons or ions can be exchanged between materials on contact or when they slide against each other, which is known as the triboelectric effect and results in one material becoming positively charged and the other negatively charged. The triboelectric effect is the main cause of static electricity as observed in everyday life, and in common high-school science demonstrations involves rubbing different materials together (e.g., fur against an acrylic rod). Contact-induced charge separation cause... Lightly rubbing small patches of material against each other for a prolonged period of time creates many instances of making/breaking contact, but a single instance of high-pressure contact between large areas - for example, your thighs and buttocks on a car seat - can build up a troublesome electrical charge in a single instance of getting into/out of the car. The materials involved matter: my wife’s car has textile seats, and in the winter I get a hellacious zap when I touch the door to get out of her car, but my own car (with leather seats) doesn’t have the same problem. > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > - People used to smoke a lot. Did this really cause lots of explosions? Probably not. Gasoline fumes are much heavier than air, so they tend to sink. So unless you’re lying down to smoke your cigarette directly below your car’s filling port on a calm day, it’s probably not a problem. That is, unless the cherry falls off of your cigarette just as you’re hovering over the fill port. > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > - What damage has been caused by not “discharging static electricity” by ordinary car drivers at ordinary gas stations? Do you routinely do this? Can I chew wintergreen Life Savers while pumping gas? Do I dare to eat a peach? If you’re actively dispensing fuel into your car when you create a static spark by touching the dispenser, you can light off the fumes that are being pushed out of your tank by all the liquid fuel that’s going in. If fuel is still being dispensed, then fumes will continue being pushed out of the fill port, creating a sustained torch effect that will damage the paint around the fill port. The good news is that the fire won’t propagate down into the tank to cause a major explosion: the mix of fuel vapor and air inside the tank is too fuel-rich to ignite. So if you can shut the fuel flow off - either by squeezing the handle, or if there’s too much fire there, by pushing the paddle on the dispenser’s base unit - the vapor torch at your car’s filler port will soon extinguish itself. If there’s a fire happening, DO NOT remove the dispenser nozzle from your car, especially if it’s still dispensing fuel; you will spray flaming gasoline all over, at which point you will have a Very Big Problem. > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > - Given the gas cuts off when the tank is full, is it really much safer to not have the trigger and make one hold the button down? Is there a pattern as to when the trigger works or doesn’t? Local state laws, or with certain companies? Seems kind of random. Given that people tend to wander away when they’re not forced to stand there and squeeze the handle, yes, it’s safer to force people to stay there so they can respond immediately if there’s a problem. If the stop mechanism doesn’t work, and you’re in your car with the door closed playing Candy Crush or jamming to Nickelback, you can end up overflowing a lot of fuel, potentially creating a major fire/environmental hazard. And those stop mechanisms do fail from time to time. I was using one once while I squeegeed my windshield clean, and had to scramble back to the dispenser nozzle when I heard fuel splashing onto the ground. I probably dumped half a gallon before I managed to get it stopped. So, safer without the autofill mechanism? Yes. _Much_ safer? Depends on how often those mechanisms fail in a dangerous mode (i.e. don’t stop fuel flow when they’re supposed to). Surely it’s rare, but it’s definitely not zero. These days I don’t go to clean my windshield unless I know the tank is going to take a while to fill - the idea being that I know I can be back at the filler to take action if it doesn’t shut off when it’s supposed to. I also don’t get back in my car while filling, for the same reason. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > Stick your gas cap in it. My general feeling is that anything you might need to shut off quickly should not be made difficult to shut off quickly. If you’re in a semi-panic mode, it may be difficult to jam your fingers into the gaps around your filler cap, and also use your other hand to dislodge the cap. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > what about when there’s a rainstorm and it’s windy enough that there’s really no way to be outside your car for more than 30 seconds without getting soaked. Maybe plan ahead so you can refuel during less inclement weather? ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/26 "2023-02-01T13:37:52Z")
I get back in the car: To get out of the cold wind. I’m not dressed for winter weather while I’m driving my commute in to work. To replace my credit card in my wallet in my purse. As an automatic safety measure. It’s something I and other women do to lessen the chance of being a target of randos in a public place. Does this make me paranoid? Some of you think so, I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/27 "2023-02-01T13:44:31Z")
> [@](#): > > > [@echoreply](#): > > > > Removing the trigger lock prevents people from getting back in the car, unless they thought ahead and brought a cinch strap. > > Stick your gas cap in it. I’ve always heard that’s what people do in states that don’t allow the pumps to have those latches. > [https://external-preview.redd.it/snhgnFH2ohZ4vIq4v7rgceJUsVNf6Xqkf2DW4XP1wR8.jpg?auto=webp&s=9ff1f196b7a686ebf2db4d700af329ab7f3cc501](https://external-preview.redd.it/snhgnFH2ohZ4vIq4v7rgceJUsVNf6Xqkf2DW4XP1wR8.jpg?auto=webp&s=9ff1f196b7a686ebf2db4d700af329ab7f3cc501) A good way to have gas spurting out all over the place. New York banned the shutoffs for several years, then lifted the ban. I wouldn’t be surprised if the change back was due to people keeping the gas flowing by other means. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/28 "2023-02-01T14:41:27Z")
California here. Not only do most nozzles have the clip, but it’s fairly common to walk into the store part of the station and get a coffee or shop while you’re filling up. There may be some small print on the pump telling you not to, but it’s widely ignored and unenforced. The only mishap I’ve seen in my 45 years as a driver was at a station I worked at as a teen when the delivery driver overfilled an underground tank and caused a spill. Cleanup was entirely left to a 16 year old (me) with a water hose and a bucket of sand. A few things that might excuse the cavalier behavior here. 1. We seem to have a lot fewer smokers here than other places. 2. We’ve had rubber vapor recovery units on our gasoline nozzles for almost half a century. 3. The largest warning sign on the pump warns against “Topping off” which is the primary cause of spills. I can’t remember ever hearing about a fire at a gas station near me. Slipping and falling seems to be the biggest danger. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/29 "2023-02-01T14:52:22Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > We’ve had rubber vapor recovery units on our gasoline nozzles for almost half a century. I should add that one feature of these units (boots, I guess they’re called) is that a nozzle won’t continue pumping if the end of the boot isn’t compressed. So there is no way it can continue to dispense if it falls out of the fill pipe unless manually pulled back. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/30 "2023-02-01T14:53:07Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > I have, many times. You just dress for it. You’re only out there for three to five minutes, tops, and if you can’t stand outside for that amount of time at below zero (or colder) temps, you just need to dress more warmly. While that is the approach I take I can only say some people are idiots and put fashion before safety and health. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/31 "2023-02-01T15:38:56Z")
It’s odd to read about those latch mechanisms being removed. If you visit Oregon, they have attendants that fill the gas for you (you aren’t allowed to pump your own gas in most scenarios). The attendant walks up, takes your card, starts the pump, gives you the card back, then wanders off to help another person. If this was such a big deal, you’d think Oregon would be afloat in gasoline. With that said, in my nearly 40 years of pumping my own gas, I did have the auto-shutoff not shutoff once. Even with me standing right there, it made a mess. They had cat litter or something they threw down to clean it up. BTW, I hate having my gas filled in Oregon. It always takes longer than if I can just do it myself. When I ride my motos through OR, then I can pump my own gas. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Baggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/87869e/32.png) [@Mr.Baggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Baggins)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/32 "2023-02-01T15:50:12Z")
In a gas station? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/33 "2023-02-01T15:50:26Z")
For those of you who hop back in to your car while it’s filling up, what do you do when you have to brush snow off of the car? Surely that’s an equally cold venture and takes as long as filling up. How do you stay warm then? I figure most of us keep gloves in the car. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/34 "2023-02-01T15:56:12Z")
I suspect most people who sit in their car are using their phones, which is still taboo while attending a nozzle. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/35 "2023-02-01T15:59:32Z")
> [@Mr.Baggins](#): > > In a gas station? Sure. They’re calling to ask where they’re supposed to insert the fuel dispenser. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/36 "2023-02-01T16:42:16Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Maybe plan ahead so you can refuel during less inclement weather? Well, I have an electric car, so it’s not much of an issue, but things don’t always work that well. Not much you can do about it when the weather is awful for multiple days in a row or I end up driving further than expected. There were plenty of times in my ICE car when I thought the half a tank I had would be fine for a few days and then end up having to drive somewhere far enough away that I have to fill up sooner. Also, the weather doesn’t always cooperate. Over the last 5 days in Milwaukee, the temperature has stayed between -8 and +19f (not counting the wind chill). It was rare that I could go 5 days without getting gas at least once. One of the perks of getting an EV was not having to stand outside in the snow and rain while getting gas anymore. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/37 "2023-02-01T21:31:50Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > It’s odd to read about those latch mechanisms being removed. If you visit Oregon, they have attendants that fill the gas for you (you aren’t allowed to pump your own gas in most scenarios). The attendant walks up, takes your card, starts the pump, gives you the card back, then wanders off to help another person. If this was such a big deal, you’d think Oregon would be afloat in gasoline. And if there’s no one else to help, the attendant wanders off anyway. Very, very rarely does a gas station attendant actually stay with my car. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/38 "2023-02-01T21:35:02Z")
I don’t live in OR so my experience is while traveling, but I do travel there quite a bit: I don’t think I recall an attendant just hang out at the car. Frustrating when it’s done and clicked off and you have to sit and wait for them to wander back. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/39 "2023-02-01T21:49:02Z")
In Massachusetts, those trigger locks were banned for years, until 2015 when the state overhauled its fire codes and decided it was okay to bring them back. Personally, during the ban I just assumed they were all broken. But now I see this is one of those things Mass residents are always swearing they will move to New Hampshire over (they never do). ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/40 "2023-02-01T22:07:59Z")
Anybody still hear “DON’T use your cell phone at a gas station!” news stories? Mythbusters could _not_ get a phone to make a car explode, even after getting more and more dangerous (“What if the phone is hanging halfway inside the gas filler neck and there’s a huge puddle of gas?”). So, of course… “What would happen if instead of a cell phone, you made a call on a blowtorch?”… they blew up the car anyhow. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2023, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139/41 "2023-02-01T22:25:46Z")
I don’t think those stories go around anymore. Too many counter-examples these days. It’s been several years now since I’ve seen any decent sized gas station where there wasn’t anybody on their phone. It was always more likely the few reported cases were static electricity mistakenly attributed to sparking phone batteries and we have a lot of real world data backing that up now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dangers-of-gas-stations/979139.md?page=3)