Madre
07-27-2009, 12:27 PM
From the Ask Marilyn column in Parade Magazine:
Sunday's Column - July 26, 2009
My boyfriend insists on leaving the car engine running while he pumps gas. I’m afraid this is a hazard. Is it?
—Susan Loomis, Apopka, Fla.
Yes. When the engine is running, the vehicle’s entire electrical system is active. If anything goes wrong (e.g., a short circuit) and creates a spark, it could ignite the gas fumes. Even seemingly innocent static electricity can cause a fire. The Petroleum Equipment Institute warns motorists never to re-enter their cars while refueling. Getting into and back out of the vehicle may generate a static charge. People have been burned by fires that erupted when they touched—or just reached for—the pump nozzle afterward.
Sunday's Column - July 26, 2009
My boyfriend insists on leaving the car engine running while he pumps gas. I’m afraid this is a hazard. Is it?
—Susan Loomis, Apopka, Fla.
Yes. When the engine is running, the vehicle’s entire electrical system is active. If anything goes wrong (e.g., a short circuit) and creates a spark, it could ignite the gas fumes. Even seemingly innocent static electricity can cause a fire. The Petroleum Equipment Institute warns motorists never to re-enter their cars while refueling. Getting into and back out of the vehicle may generate a static charge. People have been burned by fires that erupted when they touched—or just reached for—the pump nozzle afterward.