Gas! Gas! Gas!
Woman with an overflowing vehicle at the 7-11 at Hamlin and Dequinder.
(Click for more moblog photos…)
So, this morning I was running a bit low on gas, so I decided to take the 22 Mile to Ryan to Hamlin route to work and stop at the 7-11 at Hamlin and Dequinder and purchase fuel. Right after I pulled into a pump I noticed that right next to where I’d stopped was a driverless SUV (not even anyone standing around it) with a fuel nozzle hanging out the side, pouring gas all over the ground.
As the SUV also appeared to be running, I let my desire not to be in a gas station fire override my desire to purchase fuel and pulled away, but not before taking a photo. Right as I was pulling my phone out the woman who owned the SUV ran out of the 7-11 and shut off the fuel flow, before running back inside.
My understanding is that there is a state law prohibiting one from leaving the fuel pump unattended while it is operating, but I’m having a really difficult time finding it. Can anyone help? www.legislature.mi.gov just isn’t being very helpful today.
When I go elsewhere today I’m going to write down the law off the sticker. Hopefully it (and not just the drive-off law) is detailed there. I mean, I’ve had pumps overflow before, but since I was standing right next to it there was spillage on the vehicle and my foot, but not much on the ground. This had to be a good four or five gallons.
The running car is worse than the overflow. Pumps are supposed to shut themselves off, or at least they have since the 1980s.
I’ve had them not shut off before, but my standing next to the vehicle resulted in very little mess. She wasn’t even within 50′ of the vehicle.
around here, they removed the little lock tabs from all of the pumps, so you have to be right next to it when you fill up. Although you can still jam your gas cap into the handle to hold it in place.
but they still should shut off.
I think in this case, ultimately, the customer was doing two things wrong, but it seems as though the gas station has a faulty sensor in their gas pump nozzle as well.
“but they still should shut off”
but it still should shut off automatically.
(and btw, i believe it’s a federal law)
Too bad you can’t make out the license plate or you could post her to http://www.platewire.com/
It might be a federal law instead. THOMAS seems harder to search on, though (it looks like you need to go by congressional period).
I notice a trend. People who own or lease expensive vehicles (like the woman with the BMW X-5) tend to be idiot drivers. They tend to be selfish asswipes who does not take others into consideration when on the road. The state should take away their license as they are a threat to society. If I was next to this lady I would tell her off that if she doesn’t care about her car blowing up she should at least consider about the safety of others. But this probably wouldn’t get through to her thick skull.
It had crossed my mind to stop and call whatever agency regarding a spill, but I’m trying to be a bit less malicious. :\
I… yeah. People are dumb. :\