re: Do you turn your engine off while pumping gas?

quote:

---

quote: You can drop a lighted cig in a bucket of gas and it will go out the same as a bucket of water.


Of course you can. Light up a cig next to the spout where the fumes are and see what happens. Its all about concentration.

---

Yeah, smoking while pumping gas is a really bad idea, even if the chance of igniting the gas is relatively small.

The bucket of gas example is the wrong way to think about it. The gas fumes, mixed with air/oxygen, is highly flammable. Much more flammable that a bucket of gas that’s been sitting for awhile.

The concentration of gas fumes in the air while you’re pumping is not enough for ignition, but if you’re standing there pumping with a lit cig, the possibility of a problems is unacceptably high. You could drop the nozzle for any number of reasons, spilling gas, or get struck by a bouncing tire (look up the video - amazing).

Now, just having your car running, that doesn’t really increase the risk appreciably.

Even if it could increase the chance of a static spark (questionable) that would have to happen at the precise moment the gas fumes were at a strong enough concentration for ignition, and what does that have to do with the car running anyway??

Never turn it off.

That’s why the exhaust is on the opposite side from where you fill up your gas on most vehicles.

I turn it off and lock the doors if I am alone, and only to limit the chances of some idiot trying to get in and/or go for a ride. It has nothing to do with the chances of going boom.

Keep it running and rev it up just to instill fear in my kids

Nope
Because I am a rule breaker

I used to not but good buddy is a cop and they never turn there’s of whole refueling. There’s basically no risk. Sometimes I don’t now.