Why can't I.......

pump my own gas in Oregon?
-Ian

There’s a good page about this at:

http://www.hevanet.com/boston/gasoline.html

A brief summary:

  1. Dispensing gasoline is dangerous and it is safer for it to be done by someone who is properly trained in it (i.e., the gas attendant).

  2. It’s impossible for the gas attendants to enforce safety standards when people pump their own gas, because it’s hard for them to see you from their cashier’s station.

  3. It makes insurance go up when people are allowed to pump their own gas.

  4. It rains a lot in Oregon, so the roads are slick and visibility is reduced, and thus it is even more dangerous for you to get out of your car and pump your own gas.

  5. Especially for senior citizens and the disabled.

  6. You will be exposed to toxic fumes.

  7. Especially if you’re pregnant.

There are a few more reasons, but you can read about them at that site I linked to above. Also at that site are cogent rebuttals of each point; definitely worth a read if you’re interested in this topic.

(By the way, as a friendly tip, you will probably get more responses to your queries if you make the subject line a little more precise. Maybe instead of “Why can’t I”, you could have made it “Pumping gas in Oregon” or something. :D)