# Why not pump your own gas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 22, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564 "2004-06-22T03:20:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/21 "2004-06-22T11:54:02Z")
Here’s [http://www.taxfoundation.org/variousrates.html](http://www.taxfoundation.org/variousrates.html) an interesting comparison chart of gasoline taxes by US state, along with some other tax info. It would appear that NJ has the nation’s lowest state gas tax at 10.5 cents/gal, while NY has the highest, at 32.4. That’s in addition the Federal tax of 18.4 cents/gal. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/22 "2004-06-22T14:15:30Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > For the last several years here in the US, this mechanism has been removed on most self-serve nozzles, because they don’t want people wandering off while refueling–a safety issue, I gather. If I’m not mistaken, it’s a response to the type of static-ignited fire , where the driver gets back in the car while refueling and gets out (generating a static charge on himself) to pull out the nozzle and touches off a spark when his hand nears the nozzle handle’s metal parts. I’ve never seen a pump handle that didn’t have that mechanism, and there’s been vast suburban growth out here (thus, brand new gas stations). Maybe that’s true in your region, but certainly not for the US in general. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/23 "2004-06-22T14:32:08Z")
According to this web site. [http://www.lmoga.com/taxrates.htm](http://www.lmoga.com/taxrates.htm) New york taxes 29.65 cents per gallon. New Jersey taxes at 14.5 cents a gallon. Another quick search on the web came up with. low price for gas in NJ at 1.81 and low price for gas in NY at 1.99. This means that NY pre state tax was 1.69 and NJ was 1.66 not much of a difference. I don’t know about other taxes like property taxes but I would not be overly surprised to see that NY was higher, making the cost of operating a gas station higher in NY. ---
**Author:** ![Matt\_Barry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@Matt\_Barry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matt_Barry)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/24 "2004-06-22T14:35:26Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > It would appear that NJ has the nation’s lowest state gas tax at 10.5 cents/gal, while NY has the highest, at 32.4. That’s in addition the Federal tax of 18.4 cents/gal. There was a recent proposal by NJ govenor Jim MvGreevy to raise our gas tax. It didn’t go over so well, so they increased taxes on cigarettes again :). We like our lowest prices in the country. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/25 "2004-06-22T14:42:36Z")
Most self-serve nozzles are clad with a rubberlike boot, which would help with the static discharge problem. Like **Munch,** I haven’t seen non-locking nozzles anywhere in the last ten years. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/26 "2004-06-22T14:43:14Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > For the last several years here in the US, this mechanism has been removed on most self-serve nozzles, because they don’t want people wandering off while refueling–a safety issue, I gather. Most gas stations around here have them. Sometimes they don’t work, but only because they’re broken, in which case it just flaps around uselessly. I always use it when I’m filling the tank up. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pump handle with it deliberately removed. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/27 "2004-06-22T14:47:19Z")
> [@Green Bean](#): > > Well, then! You must come up for a visit! You can tour our lovely full-serve gas stations, oil refineries, toxic waste dumps, and the Port of Elizabeth! Then we’ll go out for some Manhattan clam chowder, made with Jersey tomatoes of course, and laugh at all those stuck-up stickybeaks up there in New England. > > Do you talk funny? Please note: North Jersey is the state Greenie refers to here. South Jersey might as well be an entirely different state. For every dump they have, we have a farm or an orchard. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/28 "2004-06-22T14:52:28Z")
Heh. I do love Jersey. 🙂 Obviously, I don’t know if we have those self-locking mechanisms in Jersey, but I travel a lot all over New England and PA, and I rarely see them. FWIW, when I’m out of state, I usually go to either little grungy gas stations or Mobil stations, because Mobil stations tend to have the best bathrooms. (I wonder if that’s something supported by corporate?) ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/29 "2004-06-22T14:53:16Z")
Regarding the OP, the matter is decided by the State or local Fire Marshal. In New Jersey, it was determined that trained persons shall handle motor fuels in the Garden State. Across the river in PA, the State Fire Marshal left it up to individual Cities, Townships, and Boroughs. The same local authority decides whether the nozzle dispensing locks are permitted. ---
**Author:** ![\_zz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/47e85d/32.png) [@\_zz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_zz)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/30 "2004-06-22T14:53:40Z")
Gas is about 10 cents cheaper in the Camden suburb area of NJ than in St. Petersburg Florida. Because I just this weekend went up to visit my family in New Jersey, and am now back home in St Pete. As far as the locking mechanism, its about 50/50 here in St Pete. I usually try to go to the gas stations that have it, unless the needle is so far below the E that I have no other choice. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/31 "2004-06-22T15:35:25Z")
Lush Jinks: > [@](#): > > Apparently this phenomenon also occurs in Oregon and NYC. Oregon yes, NYC no. Plenty of self-serve gas stations here. > [@](#): > > Why? I can’t imagine. Letting only trained professionals dispense gas reduces gas stations’ insurance costs, which in turn keeps the price down for the consumer. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/32 "2004-06-22T15:58:46Z")
> [@Green Bean](#): > > Heh. I do love Jersey. So do I. I went to grad school in Houston for 2 years and pumping my own gas was quite the nuisance. You get all sweaty in the heat, your hands end up smelling like gasoline, and you get a headache from the fumes. Plus, if you’re paying with cash, you have to walk to the cashier and tell them your pump number. The cashier is usually smoking a cigarette and you’re forced to breathe in 2nd-hand smoke. So now, for the rest of the trip, your clothes smell like smoke and your hands smell like gas. It’s really ridiculous. Now I’m back in NJ (Exit 138) and I really appreciate having someone else pump my gas for me, and then collect my cash and give me my change right through my window. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/33 "2004-06-22T16:00:46Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > Most self-serve nozzles are clad with a rubberlike boot, which would help with the static discharge problem. Not really. When a fluid or a gas is moved through a hose, static electricity can build up. The hoses at a fuel station have an integral drain wire to safely conduct these charges to earth, same as hoses on pressure washers and airless spray units. Static problems occur when small portable tanks are being filled, and are not in contact with the ground (pickup truck bed with bedliner), and when the nozzle tip isn’t in contact with the vessel rim. Another issue is what you do while the vehicle is filling. If you keep your hand on the nozzle, you can’t build up a static charge. If you go off and do other things, you may build a charge on your person which will then discharge to the nozzle when you reach for it. ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/34 "2004-06-22T16:03:53Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Please note: North Jersey is the state Greenie refers to here. South Jersey might as well be an entirely different state. For every dump they have, we have a farm or an orchard. **Philster** Hooooooold on there. I live in north North Jersey. Near the NY state line. We have no toxic waste dumps and no oil refineries. Just lush green mountains, pristine lakes, and huge tracts of woods. The state you & Greenie are talking about is a 20 mile long strip on the Hudson River/Newark Bay from Edgewater to Staten Island. That ain’t Jersey. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/35 "2004-06-22T16:09:14Z")
If you dig up the actual Oregon statute, they list 17 excuses, err, ostensible reasons: [http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/480.html](http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/480.html) See section “480.315 Policy” They are largely safety issues, but they manage to throw in the arguments that : 1 - Higher price for full service discriminates against the poor and elderly. 2 - Self service dispensing contributes to unemployment, particularly among young people. 3 - Self service doesn’t make gas any cheaper. 4 - The Federal Americans with Disabilities act requires equal access. 5 - Small children may be left unattended when customers at self service go to the cashier to make payments (written prior to card readers on the pumps, obviously). People I’ve known who live in Oregon seem to believe that employment is the real reason it stays on the books. The last time I was in Oregon, gas stations STILL managed to have two price levels of service anyway - a lot of them had a “full service” and a “mini service” where they would put gas in your tank, but not do anything else (and if you thought the window needed cleaning, there were no self-service squeegies available to do it yourself, of course). ---
**Author:** ![Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/db5fbb/32.png) [@Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hirka_T_Bawa)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/36 "2004-06-22T17:07:07Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > It would appear that NJ has the nation’s lowest state gas tax at 10.5 cents/gal, while NY has the highest, at 32.4. That’s in addition the Federal tax of 18.4 cents/gal. What about Georgia? Here in the wonderful state of Georgia, the gas tax is only 7.5 cents/gal according to your own site. This morning on my way to work I passed a gas station that was $1.65/gal ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/37 "2004-06-22T18:16:14Z")
> [@NutMagnet](#): > > **Philster** > > Hooooooold on there. > > I live in north North Jersey. Near the NY state line. We have no toxic waste dumps and no oil refineries. Just lush green mountains, pristine lakes, and huge tracts of woods. The state you & Greenie are talking about is a 20 mile long strip on the Hudson River/Newark Bay from Edgewater to Staten Island. That ain’t Jersey. Just about every hack comedian that makes his way to New York and/or some dumpy comedy club experiences the small part of New Jersey that is least represenative, then helps form the opinion of an entire nation. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/38 "2004-06-22T18:18:41Z")
Some obersavations here in Michigan. [ul] [li]Most of the pumps (err, “dispensers” someone will run here shortly crying) do have locking mechanisms. I try to remember the broken ones so I can avoid those pumps.[/li][li]On broken locked pumps, I used to jamb the gas cap in, but my current car has too short a strap to let the cap jamb in.[/li][li]I used my wallet for a while, until I realized it was screwing up all my credit cards.[/li][li]Why is it dangerous? The pump turns off when it detects the back-pressure anyway.[/li][li]Even self-serve-only stations will pump your gas for you, if you honk and wave your handicapped tag. I’m sure that’s a law for equal access or something.[/li][/ul] Yeah, I wish stations had pumping service. It might be worth $1 or something. But the few stations that do offer “full service” charge per gallon, usually like 25¢. That’s almost $5 for my car! And totally not worth the dude’s time if I decide I want only one gallon. ---
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/39 "2004-06-22T21:23:00Z")
> [@Green Bean](#): > > Well, then! You must come up for a visit! You can tour our lovely full-serve gas stations, oil refineries, toxic waste dumps, and the Port of Elizabeth! Then we’ll go out for some Manhattan clam chowder, made with Jersey tomatoes of course, and laugh at all those stuck-up stickybeaks up there in New England. > > Do you talk funny? I do so love living in Jersey! I’m in Rahway, but I take the Clark exit off the Parkway. It’s the only way to live. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564/40 "2004-06-22T21:37:43Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Please note: North Jersey is the state Greenie refers to here. South Jersey might as well be an entirely different state. For every dump they have, we have a farm or an orchard. South Jersey? Feh. Maybe if you like hanging out with inbred hicks and the Jersey Devil. **Jackknifed** and **dark** : Hey! We’re neighbors. I’m in Westfield. (I really should change my location to Exit 137, because I usually take that one. I was rear-ended in the Clark circle and I avoid it like the plague.) Pop me an email, and I’ll meet you at Molly Maguire’s for a beer! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-pump-your-own-gas/251564.md?page=3)