Gas Station Question

[SystematicThought]

I need to know if I'm crazy or not, but recently at the gas pump, I've been seeing a lot of people keep the engine running while they are pumping gas and here in Minnesota with the cold (it's not even cold right now, it's 40 degrees today) I've seen people go and sit in their cars because it's too cold.

I've always turned the engine off and don't do anything but wait next to the pump for it to be over. It's not worth it to me to cause an accident.

I've seen too many stories about static electricity causing a spark and causing a fire which can lead to horrible consequences. It even says right on the pump to turn the engine off and to stay next to the pump.

I saw this video last year in class and have never been the same at the pump 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuZxFL9cGkI

So am I just crazy and superstitious and everyone is doing it, or am I doing the right thing (I'm not gonna change what I do no matter what, but I'm curious)

[Prog Snob]

There was probably some leak in the nozzle. The place wouldn't blow up because of that. I'm sure there are safety checks that would cut the gas feed to the pump.  I don't know. Someone else have a better idea of what the answer is here?

[SystematicThought]

Sorry if the video is detracting from my question, but I'm more wondering if people leave the engine on while pumping gas.

[Dr. DTVT]

No, but then again my brain cells work.  It's not worth the minuscule risk that something catastrophic will happen or a police officer would roll by and cite me when I lived up north.  Car doesn't get that cold that fast.

[lonestar]

Very few thinks I just don't take chances with. Gasoline is pretty high on that list, I follow the rules.

[pogoowner]

I have never kept the engine running, nor have I gotten back in the car while the gas is pumping. Besides the fact that it just seems enormously stupid, it's not worth it to me to sit in the car for like 2 minutes and get back out. Most pumps these days are pretty quick, and I have a small gas tank.

[bout to crash]

Yeah, I've never left the engine running. Fuck that. I briefly dated a guy who did, though. Bothered me. But he also drove home from work while drinking tall boys of Twisted Tea, so...

[TioJorge]

I've never not turned it off. Even if the chance is the same as the lottery, knowing my luck that would be the lottery I'd win so I'll echo Jackie in saying fuck that.

Apparently you just have a bunch of no fucks given peeps around you.

[Implode]

I've never done it either. Just doesn't seem worth it. As much as I hate it, I'll stand outside the car next to the pump while it's -10F out. I won't even let it run and go inside the shop, which apparently some people do.

[TioJorge]

Yeah especially that. I see people all the time leaving their kids in the car while they run in the store, leaving their car on...even if it's locked and someone is inside (child-age), fuck that shit. Humans are too fucked up to do that, even if it's just a car, let alone if someone precious is in it. Dumbasses...

[Anguyen92]

People actually leave the engine on when pumping gas?  Does that approach get gas to last longer or is just "it's too darn cold, I want to be warm now".  I don't think I have ever witness someone doing that.  Then again, I live in Southern California.  Weather is always relatively warm.

[TioJorge]

Yep. Texas, here. In fact the first thing I thought of despite having 'lived' in the North for a while is "ONLY 40 DEGREES!? WHAT THE FUCK!?". I love the cold so much and yet growing up in the South has that kind of reaction being immediate.     

[Chino]

I never shut my engine off when pumping. Ever.

[cramx3]

I don't leave my engine on, ever, I also don't get out of my car, ever.  Yay for NJ for having cheap gas and people to pump it for you  Probably the best thing about this state.

[BlobVanDam]

The gas station always has big signs telling you to shut off your engine. I didn't even realize this was a thing people were reckless enough to do.

[ReaperKK]

Always shut my engine off.

[Chino]

I'm not trying to be ignorant about this, but what's the big deal?

Those rules were put in place decades ago because pumps didn't automatically shut off and tanks would regularly overfill when people weren't paying attention. We've solved that problem and also have vapor recovery nozzles to trap fumes. The only ignition source is contained within a sizable chunk of iron.

I get that there's a concern about the exhaust being hot and igniting spilled fuel, but your pipes would have to be glowing red hot to do that. Motorcyclist's pipes are exposed in a far more dangerous way when fueling compared to a car, and even with the engine off, they wouldn't cool down enough in the time it takes to fill a tank to make any notable difference. You don't see those exploding at the pumps.

The gas station always has big signs telling you to shut off your engine. I didn't even realize this was a thing people were reckless enough to do.

There are also signs that say not to use a cellphone while pumping gas because it might cause fuel to randomly ignite. That might be the biggest load of horseshit I've ever heard.

[cramx3]

The cell phone thing is crazy, no one listens to that and I never understood the danger.

[Chino]

Indy cars and NASCAR vehicles don't shut their engines off when fueling.

[BlobVanDam]

That comment is so Murican I wouldn't even know where to start.

[Chino]

That comment is so Murican I wouldn't even know where to start.

Okay then. Fair. Cars racing at the Nurburgring don't shut off their engines while fueling.

[Stadler]

Apparently you guys have never heard of Joey Kramer, drummer for a little band called "Aerosmith". 

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/joey-kramer-ferrari/

"Investigators later determined that Kramer had left the engine running while filling up, which likely contributed to the gas combusting after it spilled, but neither side seemed willing to press the issue — though Kramer wasn’t rushing back to the Ferrari dealership to get another one."

Having said that, though, it was the main fact that the fuel line disconnected from the tank, so there was fuel pumping out onto the ground.  More often than not, I turn the car off, but I wouldn't say it is a hard and fast rule.  I was having some trouble with a battery/starter combo on my Volvo, and until it got fixed, I didn't think twice about leaving the car on when pumping gas.  Like I said, for the most part I do, but it's not really out of some safety zealotry. 

[cramx3]

I've also had a car issue once where I had trouble getting it to start so when I finally did and needed gas, I sure as hell didn't turn the engine off.  And i mostly agree that it is fairly safe, but it's also not worth leaving on.  You are idle for a few minutes, no need to leave the engine on.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

There are also signs that say not to use a cellphone while pumping gas because it might cause fuel to randomly ignite. That might be the biggest load of horseshit I've ever heard.

The Federal Communications Commission says it's horseshit also:

https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/wireless-devices-gas-stations

Printout version:

https://transition.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/wirelessgas.pdf

[BlobVanDam]

That comment is so Murican I wouldn't even know where to start.

Okay then. Fair. Cars racing at the Nurburgring don't shut off their engines while fueling.

Never even heard of that one. I don't follow any car race-y stuff.
But you're free to leave your engine on when refueling when it's done by a team of pit crew pros who are trained to deal with potential hazards for the sake of saving a couple of seconds in a race where speed is critical enough to forego safety measures.

[cramx3]

That comment is so Murican I wouldn't even know where to start.

Okay then. Fair. Cars racing at the Nurburgring don't shut off their engines while fueling.

Never even heard of that one. I don't follow any car race-y stuff.
But you're free to leave your engine on when refueling when it's done by a team of pit crew pros who are trained to deal with potential hazards for the sake of saving a couple of seconds in a race where speed is critical enough to forego safety measures.

These people have also died before racing their cars.  I wouldn't put any stock into what they do in comparison to the average driver on the roads (not race track).  Nurburgring is a big race track in Germany btw.  Racing is a pretty popular worldwide sport, it's not just an American thing.

[BlobVanDam]

That comment is so Murican I wouldn't even know where to start.

Okay then. Fair. Cars racing at the Nurburgring don't shut off their engines while fueling.

Never even heard of that one. I don't follow any car race-y stuff.
But you're free to leave your engine on when refueling when it's done by a team of pit crew pros who are trained to deal with potential hazards for the sake of saving a couple of seconds in a race where speed is critical enough to forego safety measures.

These people have also died before racing their cars.  I wouldn't put any stock into what they do in comparison to the average driver on the roads (not race track).  Nurburgring is a big race track in Germany btw.  Racing is a pretty popular worldwide sport, it's not just an American thing.

The average person also doesn't wear a fireproof suit while driving. That puts it into context.

[Podaar]

 

I think it's likely that Chino is just pulling our legs, folks.

[splent]

Nope never. I think the only vehicles that are supposed to keep the engine running are diesel trucks.

And yeah I'm from Wisconsin, 40 isn't cold... I remember one time in high school getting gas it was so cold the gas pumps froze and it was gas slush coming out

BTW SystematicThought your sig is a masterpiece

[El Barto]

Uh, if the thing does start spewing gas out and then burst into flames, do you want to be standing next to it when it happens? If there's an explosion at the rear of the car I'd rather be inside and ready to GTF out of dodge at a moment's notice. If 7-11's equipment starts a situation that could cause an explosion it's every man for himself, AFAIC. Not trying to convince anybody of this, mind you, but there is a flaw in the "holy shit, guys!" side of this discussion.

Myself, I usually walk around and clean the windows while it's gassing up anyway. I usually turn the car off, but if it's really cold or I have pax in the car then I sometimes won't. I'd say 10% of the time I leave it running.

Other things to consider are that only once in my 25 years of driving have I ever had a pump spew gas out (didn't click off whilst filling up), and on a cold day gas is actually not hugely combustible with low heat. I know a cigarette won't actually ignite it if it's cold outside. Not sure if a hot cat would or not. Still, nothing I'm particularly worried about.


edit: and now that I think about it, if the automatic shutoff doesn't stop gas from spewing forth, then driving off and letting the hose break away would be a reasonable step since there's a second (hopefully working) safety mechanism in place at that point.

[Chino]

I've tried to ignite a pool of gas with a cigarette like in the movies. It didn't work

[hefdaddy42]

I always shut my engine off when fueling.  I've seen too many things to take a chance like that.

It's easy to say that 99% of the time nothing happens.  But that 1% is going to be my sorry ass, waiting for someone to blow me out.

[El Barto]

It's easy to say that 99% of the time nothing happens.  But that 1% is going to be my sorry ass, waiting for someone to blow me out.

I think you're looking at more like .0099 in this case, and there are a ton of other risks falling into that range of likelihood. Being in a running car might well prove important in many of those.

[Podaar]

For me, everyone being required to turn off their engine is equal to immunization. It all comes down to herd immunity.

Sure Chino's or El Barto's cars may be in such good repair that the chances of them causing an explosion (and that's what we're talking about here. Mixing gasoline with oxygen doesn't make a fire hazard. It creates and explosion hazard) is vanishingly small. But, public safety isn't about specific individuals and is often about the lowest common denominator. I don't think any of us want a sign put up that says, "Turn your engine off before fueling...unless, you're sure your car is in good enough shape to be only .0099 % likely to cause an explosion." Turning off your car and eliminating the possibility of your internal combustion engine to create external combustion is, in the words of Martha, a good idea. Having everyone do it is even better.

Oh, and I've never seen a filing station have the fire suppression equipment available to a racing pit crew.

[DragonAttack]

Problems with people inside the car whether it's running or not:  the hose could become dislodged, and there is no one there to attend to it.

Running the car, while there are kids inside, is a big accident waiting to happen.

Theft of your car while inside paying or getting coffee, etc.