Not allowed to play this as I live in NJ. :)
> Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act
> a. Because of the fire hazards directly associated with dispensing fuel, it is in the public interest that gasoline station operators have the control needed over that activity to ensure compliance with appropriate safety procedures, including turning off vehicle engines and refraining from smoking while fuel is dispensed.
> b. At self-service gasoline stations in other states, cashiers are often unable to maintain a clear view of the activities of customers dispensing gasoline, or to give their undivided attention to observing customers; therefore, when customers, rather than attendants, are permitted to dispense fuel, it is far more difficult to enforce compliance with safety procedures
> c. The State needs stronger measures to enforce both compliance by customers with the ban on self-service and compliance by attendants with safety procedures
> e. Exposure to toxic gasoline fumes represents a health hazard when customers dispense their own gasoline, particularly in the case of pregnant women
https://www.nj.gov/labor/safetyandhealth/resources-support/l...
https://jwkblog.com/wordpress/fire-at-gas-stations-some-fact...
5k fires/year, 61% involving vehicles so about 3k fires/year, presumably from pumping gas.
But given how many billions (or maybe even trillions) of customer-pump interactions per year that’s a really low incident rate.
It would be interesting to see if NJ and OR with no self-serve have dramatically lower rates but I couldn’t find that info.
The hospitals, I guess? I'm making inferences from the judgement-making of...whoever, not second-guessing them.
If anything, I'm giving complete faith to the system here. My assumption is if they can send out a full fire-truck to respond to a call where clearly an ambulance would be sufficient, they're not doing it despite there also being a fire that needs response.
Even with suppression someone has to intervene to reduce it from suppressed to extinguished, and that’s usually the fire department.
The numbers are very small, but it’s not nothing.
The key point though would be seeing if these risks are far lower in OR and NJ, or not.
Edit: $20M, not $20B
No. That number is wildly wrong.
I also wonder if it's OK that we let each state decide for themselves rather than creating a federal mandate with what is judged by leading experts to be the best solution.
How much safer is it in NJ?
Your phrasing in the comment I initially replied to suggested that you believe the pump mandate reduces the number of fires. If that's the case, it should be demonstrable with data and it should be front and centre in every discussion, surely?
https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/07/nyregion/on-politics-outc...
Me, I’m too type A and impatient to wait for attendants and I wish we had self serve.
Being able to refuel your car without stepping outside is really nice, especially in winter. There has been attempts to repeal that law to no avail.
The only drawback is if there aren't enough employees you may need to wait a while. This is especially annoying at Costco where there's always a line.
https://www.shell.fi/motorists/inside-our-stations/palvelume...
Personally I prefer to use a "cold station", as in, an unmanned station. Pre-pay with my phone, get out, grab a pump, stand around for a couple of minutes, get back in the car and drive off. No need to faff with people.
It's also annoying if you're driving down the turnpike right after a snow-storm. The turnpike is clear but the attendants are snowed-in. Once waited for over an hour for the only attendant to pump, but we weren't going to make it to CT on that tank.
CT? so you could have gone ahead and bought in NYS but you wanted that cheap cheap NJ gas, didn't you!?
In most tank stations I've seen in Italy you have the served and self lines, the latter sparing you some cents/liter while in the former they will wash your windshield while the tank is getting filled up.
Isn't there a serviced lane in other US states?
As a side note, barely-above minimum wage though it was, I loved that job. Kinda sucked in the Indiana winters, but otherwise stand outside all day and talk to people.
Side-side note: as a former "professional", I'll admit I got bored after 1976, so I have no score to post.
No, because there is no demand for full service at the extra amount it would cost to hire someone. I actually would not pay any extra for someone else to fill it, as I would prefer to not have someone else touch my credit card and risk overfill my fuel tank.
Maybe it changed in previous years, I have not been there in a while.
Also, I remember full-service lines going away around the same time as "Regular" gasoline went away.
Since it costs slightly more, there's basically not a market for it outside the places where it's required.
Isn't that basically the argument behind everything covid?
That's exactly the argument behind regulation to keep us from getting sick.
... but yeah, $15 plus tips for this game B)
In South Africa they use chip and pin (also tap and go for small amounts, and tap and pin for larger amounts. Most gas is tap and pin).
Incidentally there is also no self-service for gas country wide.
The way it works is that each pump has a portable wireless card machine. The attendant fills in the amount, you tap, and if necessary he hands you the machine to enter a pin. They look away (in an obvious manner) for this step. He doesn't handle your card.
Incidentally this is true mostly everywhere - you handle your card, not the vendor.
Obviously you never give your PIN to anyone - much less shout it across a forecourt.