You probably haven’t noticed, but typically, there are posted safety rules at your local gas station that include not walking away from your car, not smoking, or even not using a cell phone while pumping gas. But what about turning off your car?
While thoughts on the topics vary, if you want to keep yourself (and others) safe, you should turn your car off while pumping gas.
The risk of fire is low, but not zero. By leaving your car running, it could produce enough electricity to ignite a spark. Unfortunately, that small spark is all that’s needed to create a big problem. It could ignite any liquid gas on the ground or even drips or sprays from the pump, causing a fire or explosion.
Not only could you be seriously injured, but that kind of fire could quickly spread to other pumps and put everyone there at risk.
While it can be tempting to leave your car running, especially in the winter to keep it warm in the winter or cool in the summer, don’t assume you’re safe just because you’re standing next to the vehicle. Even a small spark caused by static electricity could be enough to cause a fire. You can never be too careful when it comes to extremely flammable gasoline.
So, while it might seem more convenient to keep your car on while pumping gas, cut the engine and follow all of the rules for everyone’s safety.
