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Cars and gas stations and gas pumps have all been around for plenty of years, but for some reason, lately, I’ve been hearing an awful lot about one particular kind of disaster involving the unfortunate intersection of all three: people driving off while the gas pump is still sticking out of their tank. (This irate photocopied sign was stuck to every pump at an Arco station I visited yesterday; the first of its kind I’ve seen anywhere. Apparently gas stations have seen an uptick in this sort of accident, too.)
Not only that, it happened to a friend of mine last month, and his story, I think, proves my theory of why this is happening now more than ever: distraction. If it’s not cell phones (which gas stations warn you not to use while pumping … for “fire danger” reasons) it’s something else. For instance, in Los Angeles, already the billboard capitol of the world, they’ve been installing these ridiculously distracting digital billboards all over town, that either show full-motion video or scroll through a series of still images every few seconds. It’s one of the latter that the friend in question was gawking at while pumping gas last month — and when he got home, he noticed a funny new souvenir protruding from his open gas tank: the pump handle.
After debating whether or not to ‘fess up to his inadvertent act of vandalism for awhile, he decided to stop by the gas station again the following morning and drop off the handle. The attendant didn’t look too surprised (apparently “it happens three times a week”), but told him it was a good thing he came back — “we’ve got cameras, and pictures of your license plate,” he said ominously.
Has this happened to anyone else — and if so, were you on the phone, or otherwise distracted at the time?
Illustrative image #2 photographed by Shawn Wallace of DoodleGirl.
This has never happened to me, nor will it ever; I’m too afraid to turn the car engine back on while the gas tank cap is open. I guess my neuroses will be saving me upwards of $375.
posted by xenylamine on 10-12-2007 at 8:02 am
I was working at a gas station one time and a guy did this… We only charged th guy for the cost of the spewed gas though. It was pandemonium for a moment as we scattered to get the emergency kitty litter clean up stuff!
The guy was cool with it, as was the manager at the time… nothing like in the pic above!
posted by Justin L on 10-12-2007 at 8:09 am
Doesn’t tend to happen in Canada because we pump our gas first then go in and pay after. So you and the clerk would both have to be pretty damn unobservent to drive away with the handle/hose. In fact many pumps only send you total in to the cash after you replace the handle.
posted by Lisa on 10-12-2007 at 8:22 am
Happened to me. Driving 1 ton Ford dually with trailer. Gas gauge unreliable and I was very worried about running out of diesel fuel. Pulled into truck stop and every pump but one had a bag over the pump handle. I pulled up to the one pump w/o a bag and put the nozzle in my tank. Nothing happened. I went inside and was informed that they had no diesel. I was pissed, got in the truck and drove off. Heard someone yelling, looked back and saw I was trailing the nozzle, hose and wiring from the pump. Owner was very upset and would not let me leave until I paid damages. At my suggestion he called law enforcement. They came, inspected my insurance papers and informed owner he was illegally restraining me. It was a matter for the insurance companies. Truck stop shut down and never reopened.
posted by Michael Wild on 10-12-2007 at 8:34 am
Where I live (Southeastern Wisconsin)you pump first, then pay. But to pay you have to hang up the nozzle for the pump to register on the computer.
posted by joo on 10-12-2007 at 8:58 am
If this happens so often, why don’t they develop a quick release mechanism that seals the hose off. Some thing similar to an air hose coupler would do. That way when someone drives off with the hose, there would not be any leakage and they would only need to reconnect the nozzle to the hose..
I am sure that theft would become a concern. Just make the coupler require more force than a human could reasonably pull, but less than the breaking point of the hose. Besides gas stations always have an attendant and what about all those cameras that are watching for when you break the hose with your car?
posted by n2y2 on 10-12-2007 at 9:25 am
This is another indication of the grow “stupidification” of America. Warning stickers telling people not to tow wheelbarrows behind their cars, lawsuits because coffee was “hot”…I say take away the stickers and let the stupid kill themselves in ridiculously humorous ways. That way maybe they will stop breeding….
posted by Chris Thorpe on 10-12-2007 at 9:33 am
I have done this….twice. I am officially an idiot. One time I was on the phone, and I really have no excuse for the other time. They only charged me the $75 reinstall fee, and there was no dramatic gas spray either.
posted by Mo on 10-12-2007 at 9:39 am
Around here (Western NY), most stations remove the gizmo on the handle which allows you to latch the pump on, so you have to stand there with your hand on the nozzle in order for it to work. I think this would prevent most of these type of accidents (but not all). Of course many ne’er-do-wells just stuff the fuel cap into the handle to “hold it on” :-)
I’ll bet the driveaway problem rarely occurs in New Jersey or Oregon where self-serve fueling is illegal. It sucks having to deal with the attendants there, though … takes a whole lot longer.
posted by Sid Morrison on 10-12-2007 at 9:42 am
i did this once. but i heard the huge clanging sound as i pulled away. i was just really hungover and was not paying attention. a lot of the newer gas stations have put quick disconnects on the hoses so that they don’t lose an gas.
posted by Yerg on 10-12-2007 at 9:46 am
About $100 will fix this.
Fueling breakaway supplied by OPW or Husky. We use them here.
posted by Robin on 10-12-2007 at 9:52 am
Happened to us on our way back from the border… REALLY DOES HAPPEN! Luckily the gas station attendant told us to go before his boss got back. Ha!
posted by Claudia on 10-12-2007 at 10:23 am
I did this once, I don’t remember if I was on the phone, but I think I might have been.
Luckily, I guess I pulled away at just such an angle and the handle popped out of my tank without any apparent damage. I got out and hung it back up and if the attendant noticed, they didn’t come out.
posted by Bo on 10-12-2007 at 10:46 am
I’ve done it. Pulled away from an AM/PM and freaked when I heard the sound. Stopped the car and the attendant ran out, ripping into me. After he calmed down I handed over my insurance info. It really isn’t THAT big of a deal. But that guy scared the crap out of me. If it ever happens again I almost think I might speed off.
posted by Jacbak on 10-12-2007 at 10:47 am
Before they had the breakaway hoses my friend Berta drove off with the hose still in and pulled over the whole pump! She said it was just a box with a hose in the ground. She tried to stand it back up before the dude noticed but he came out and wrote her name & number on a piece of paper but I think he lost it because no one ever caller her.
posted by CropTillDawn on 10-12-2007 at 10:48 am
Got my nickname “Petro” from the many years I spent pumping gas for a living. I saw this happen only a few times since it was a full service station. The first time was a really big deal! The customer asked for $20, which I starting pumping and left to finish on its own (since the pump was programmed for preset amounts at the push of a button, $20 being one of them). As I went to serve other customers, the fellow went inside to pay the cashier inside, who took his money once the pump automatically stopped at $20. It all happened very quickly, and he got back into his car and started driving away without waiting for me to remove the hose (obviously assuming it was already done). Unfortunately neither the handle nor the hose snapped off. It was a terrible sounds as the WHOLE FUEL PUMP came tearing off its foundation and crashed on its side, spewing a quick gusher of fuel before the shutoff valve kicked in. Needless to say, he didn’t get very far, but I think our station swallowed the tab on that one.
posted by Petro Pierre on 10-12-2007 at 10:58 am
This will also never happen in New Jersey and Oregon, as it’s illegal in those two states to pump your own gas.
posted by gmsc on 10-12-2007 at 11:50 am
I’ve never driven off with the hose still in my tank but I have had the nozzle pop out of my tank spewing gas everywhere when the automatic shut-off clicks off. Is there air pressure in my tank? I never top off. I’m usually just mad I have to pay for the gas that didn’t go in my tank.
posted by Farfalla on 10-12-2007 at 11:54 am
i’ve done this. was talking to my small son and drove off, after having paid for the gas. this is an older station with outdated equipment. got several blocks away and was at a stop sign when someone came running up behind my car and opened my door. my initial thought was, ’someone’s going to kidnap my son!’ in south dakota, we don’t lock our doors out of habit; we’re low crime and very trusting.
this good citizen’s only motive was to let me know that i had a pump hanging from my tank.
i took it back to the station. the attendent laughed and said, ‘oh, that’s okay. we’ll just snap it back on. thanks for bringing it back, though. we really appreciate that!’
posted by Richel on 10-12-2007 at 12:13 pm
“Wristcutters: A Love Story,” a new film that is coming out very soon (it’s been touring in Film Festivals) has an amusing scene based on this idea.
I recommend the movie.
posted by Nathan Miller on 10-12-2007 at 1:37 pm
I *almost* did this once — I was using a credit card, and put the nozzle in while it was approving. For some unknown reason (the card was good!) the charge was declined — twice. I was confused, unreasonably embarassed, and angry because I was late for work, and got back in my truck and started off. Luckily someone yelled and I stopped before doing any damage. This was on a truck with the fill on the passenger side — now I have one on the driver’s side and I always check in my mirror twice before pulling away.
posted by Cedar on 10-12-2007 at 2:37 pm
This didn’t happen to me, but did almost happen to my boyfriend. He claims he was pumping gas, got distracted, and drove off. It wasn’t until he got home that he realized that the little door over his gas cap was gone; apparantly, he drove off with the pump still in his car, and I guess when he drove away, the pump popped out, taking with it the gas cap cover. He has yet to get it fixed in the few years since this has occured, and every so often when I see that exposed gas cap, I say something like, “Hey, what happened to your car?” He just scowls and says “Shut up.” :-)
posted by Erin S. on 10-12-2007 at 3:49 pm
I know a guy who was going to ask his girlfriend to marry him at a romantic dinner.
He needed gas first…….
He was distracted, but not by any outside events.
posted by mungley on 10-12-2007 at 5:12 pm
The first time I did this, I stopped and paid even though I was a student making minimum wage and in the middle of moving. (Read: Beyond Broke)
The second time I drove away.
No outside distractions, just myself.
It happens in the opening scene of Garden State to Zach Braff’s character too.
posted by Miss Kiki on 10-12-2007 at 9:29 pm
I work for an agency that takes some reports over the phone for the local police department (a topic all on it’s own, I’m sure) and I have, personally, taken several reports of this. Crazy.
posted by jasper on 10-13-2007 at 5:37 pm
The stations SHOULD demand payment for broken-off hoses. $375 is the actual cost of the equipment. Most gas retailers make about $0.05 - $0.10 per gallon sold, before credit card fees and overhead. At that rate, it takes almost 1000 customer fill-ups to pay for one lost hose. Even if you return one, it is probably too damaged from dragging on the pavement to be reconnected.
posted by Andi on 10-14-2007 at 10:28 am
To those fools in Jersey and Oregon, this can happen at full-serve stations.
I used to work at a full-serve gas/car wash a few years back. Customer asked for a fill up and wash. She heard the pump stop (which caused a hard jerk) and assumed I had taken the pump out and shut the fuel door. As I walked up, she immediately started the car and began to pull around to the wash. Unfortunately, the hose had a very strong auto re-coil line, and as the top of the nozzle broke off into her fill pipe, the rest of the hose and handle came flying back at my head. It missed me, but not by much.
It was not something I’d like to repeat.
posted by It's good to be the King on 11-8-2007 at 11:19 am
haha… I did this yesterday!! I was distracted because I was pumping gas, had to go to the bathroom, came back from peeing, and hopped in the car, started to pull away, about a second into pulling away realized I never removed the pump, slammed on the brakes, and at that exact second the pump pulled off… YIKES!
I was in New York photographing a wedding, but I live in Santa Barbara. I’ve never seen this happen before, but everyone at the gas station was staring at me and I didn’t feel stupid at all!
posted by Tim Halberg on 11-19-2007 at 12:29 pm
I live in NJ, and I pulled the hose out earlier today. After the attendant gave me back my card (not run through the pump, but at a separate credit card machine) and I signed the slip, he said “Still moving” in a heavy accent. I didn’t know what he meant, so he repeated it. I thought he meant the traffic light was changing (that area is horrible to get out of during rush hour).
I started to pull away, then saw him running towards me getting sprayed with gasoline (which shut off almost instantly). He pointed to another hose on the ground near the one hanging out of my car and said that someone earlier that day had done the same thing. He called his boss, who started screaming at him. When the attendant handed the phone to me, the boss flipped out and said he was taking $200 out of the attendant’s paycheck or I could pay for it. I told him that it wasn’t the attendant’s fault - that I had just misunderstood him. He cursed at me and told me to give my name, phone and license plate number to the attendant. I did, but also said that I would have to talk to my husband and lawyer.
It’s a new gas station. How is it $200 worth of damage? It looks like the hose would just screw right back onto the top of the pump.
posted by Natasha on 12-10-2007 at 4:48 pm
Yep i am looking online for costs because i did it hours ago.. thank goodness it was done pumping. i got distracted, in california we can pay through debit card and when it was done pumping i just started to do my windows thenn.
hopped in my car ( tiny nissan 240sx)
started to drive then this loud CLUNK
i got out like OOOOO SH*******
started laughing with my lil bro, the lady was chill about it, just took down ALL my info and said my insurance may call me :/
posted by Kevin on 12-23-2007 at 11:02 pm
I work in the fuel pump industry as a manufacturer of gas pumps.
Most station owners should be using a “breakaway” on each hose. It disconnects the hose from the pump in the event a drive away happens. Most breakaways are reconnectable and very little fuel should be lost when an occurance happens.
Now, sometime the breakaway is damaged in a way that it cannot be used and the hardware on the pump (hose, nozzle, breakaway) is expensive and may need to be replaced. In some areas, $200 would not be an unreasonable price for replacement. I could understand a station owner trying to recoupe this cost from the person who drove away.
If a station does not use the breakaway and you find yourself in the situation of having driven off without removing the nozzle, the station owner should pay the costs of replacement. He should have invested in this system to begin with. That is why the breakaway is used!!!
After all, when this happens, it is an accident (I would hope). A responsible station owner would invest in breakaways for each hose to protect his customers, employees and his investment in the dispensers.
This is my opinion only…
posted by Bob on 1-23-2008 at 2:40 pm
oh my goodness, I did this this morning. I was very distracted becuase she really sad lady begged me for gas money and I put $5 of gas from my debit card into her gas tank. Afterwards I felt so elated from my good deed that I completely forgot about the gas III was pumping for myself and I just drove off with the pump still in my car. Luckily it was done pumping. I heard a loud CLUNK! and was like hooooly shit. i didn’t even look back. I just got out really quick down the road to screw on my tank cap and I sped away. But now knowing there may be cameras I am going to drive by the gas station later and see if there is any damage. I hope not!! I can’t afford to pay for this. Crap!
posted by sarah on 3-25-2008 at 12:25 pm
So I really needed to pee and get gas so I quickly put in the gas hose and went inside. After finding out that the bathroom was out of order I quickly go to the restaurant adjacent which has a sign “bathroom being cleaned, do not enter”. Due to my frustration at the odd chance that there were no available bathrooms. I quickly jumped in my car and sped off to search for a bathroom I could actually use. Then CLUNK…I forgot to take out the gas pump hose. I quickly got out of my car and put the hose on the floor in fear my bladder would explode, a severe fine would ensue and a beating, I sped off down the road. Should I be worried a cop will come knocking on my door with an arrest warrant? I’m hoping that since I left the gas hose/handle there I will be fine…
posted by Gotta Go on 1-1-2009 at 8:16 pm