herbvdh

In theory it is a law here in NJ now do people turn the car off is another story sometimes I leave it on as the gas engine is off anyway on the Hybrid. Who is going to enforce this law anyway. I know where some gas station guy told the customer turn off your two way radio.

tfischer

Actually, it's not called Carjacking. If someone takes your car while you are out of the car, even if the car is running at the time, it's just regular old grand theft auto. And if you leave the car running while you step away and it is stolen, your insurance company may have some bad news for you. In that case, the explosion might be preferable.

Chpsk8

I leave it run. If you come to MN you'll see 90% of the cars running while they fuel in the winter and dead of summer. (the other 10% are dead and need a jump start )
If it's not blazing hot or cold I shut it off, but around here that's a rare scene.
The pumps here don't say that you need to shut off the engine, they just say that you are responsible for spills. I can't remember a time that a car started on fire because someone left it running while filling. Anyone else hear of it? Seems like a myth like cell phones causing fires.

biff44

I remember one night when I was younger and invincible...we were out camping. We placed the logs in the middle of a fire ring, and someone got out some gasoline and doused the logs. It was a nice cold fall night. Then someone lit the fire. We were all standing pretty far away. Well gas fumes were hugging the ground but spreading out, and just like in the movies, a ring of fire spread out radially from the logs, going out to about 8 foot radius. We all had to jump out of the way! Hard to do considering how much beer had been consumed.

Just because you can not see the fumes, does not mean they are not there.

xfirechief

Being in the fire service for over 33 years believe me it is no myth.
Have seen many fires start because of refueling mistakes.
It only takes one time & bam, it is almost like an explosion. Never leave the vehicle running, never fill spare fuel containors inside the vehicle, put them on the ground then touch the pump handle on the side of the containor to ground it & hold it there while refueling. Never have open gas containors in your basement like to clean parts, I have seen the fumes ignited by a water heater that is way on the other end of the basement.
It is better to be cold for a few minutes then to be ingulfed in fire.
It may never happen to you but IT COULD.

Lil4X

Thanks, xfirechief - I think you've provided the definitive answer.

There's a good point to be made here. With colder weather coming on, I know it's tempting to leave the engine running and the heater on while filling the gas tank, but the consequences, however remote, are just to terrible to contemplate. Even the possibility of engulfing yourself and your family in flames is not worth the minimal discomfort of a few minutes out in the cold.

As xfirechief says, use caution when filling gas cans (or even your tank) because in cold, dry weather a static charge picked up while driving, caused by sliding over your seat to exit the car, or even gasoline moving through the delivery hose can cause an arc between the filler neck and the nozzle.

If the gasoline pump's vapor recovery system is not fully functional (few are, because none are tested) you are displacing a volume of air and fuel fumes into the air equal to the quantity of gas you pump. A quarter-cup of gasoline properly dispersed in air has the explosive power of two sticks of dynamite. There's something to think about while you are pumping gas in sub-freezing weather.

sportsfan8

wow, even if it was butt freezing outside, i would never leave the car engine running while pumping fuel... unless you have a death wish.

tfischer

Suggested reading: the new book by David Sedaris:

grouch

Ya, leave the keys in it and running. Fill it up with gas and (if your still alive) watch someone else drive away with it.

Axchange

American people are full of fear. Only in this country, that people fear of everything. Yes it is ok to leave your car running while you pump your fuel. I leave my car running everytime when it is below zero degree. Just don't spill the gas!

biff44

It comes down to a personal choice. You are told that there is a danger. Obviously it is not a statistically large danger, or you would see car fires in the news every day. But it is there never the less.

I suppose it depends on how you run your life. I handle dangerous gases, chemicals, machines, guns, etc routinely. When doing so you learn important safety rules. You make sure you stick by those rules, because the more dangerous things you handle, the more chances you have of something going seriously wrong. You teach your kids about the dangers, and explain the consequences too.

If you are not a techie, and seldom handle dangerous stuff, then the world strives to take care of you. There are building codes that houses have to comply with--things like vapor berms between garages and living spaces to keep gas vapors down. Things like that that you probably do not even know about, but are there anyway. These are there to cut down on the likeliehood of danger.

But if you think that just because you seldom see a gas explosion related to refueling, that you are somehow invincible, good flippin luck pal!

tfischer

Ax is right; I am full of fear. For one thing, I am afraid of blowing up in a fiery explosion that leaves third degree burns on my hands and face. I deal with this fear by taking the time (2 seconds) to turn off the car while putting gas into the tank . . .
. . . and my fear goes away.

steiner

That is not correct. It is not a personal choice. There are state laws, there are city ordinances, there are safety regulations, and there is a warning sign which constitutes a contract you need to follow by getting on the premise. If you don't like the contract you can take business elsewhere.

Not only being stupid by endangering your life, you also compromise safety of all others around you. Statistically there are not a whole lot of gas stations blowing up. But it was not zero. And as far as I am (and for that matter you are) concerned, all it takes is one explosion to kill me.

salimshah

My teacher used to say, humans are the only known specie who have the ability to learn from other people's experience.

But nothing beats, learning by experience and then being fortunate to walk away with minimal damage. In my teenage years, a friend and I knew about H2 and O2 being produced while a lead acid battery is being charged. Just like Axchange, we thought the "fear" is overblown, we lit a match next to a charging 6v motorcycle battery. The fraction of intelligence we did use prevented the acid splash to come on us (or mostly by luck). We sheepishly picked up the pieces and bought a new battery.

Please err on the side of safety. If you feel invisible and or lucky, please do not jeopardize the lives of others around you.

Salim

The G Man

I deal with dangerious and flammable chemical everyday at work and believe me, gasoline and its flumes are highly flammable.