Why shut off engine at gas station

Here's why you should never leave your car on when filling up its gas tank. Gasoline is extremely flammable, which is why gas stations prohibit smoking and having any sort of open flame around their pumps. It's also why stations ask customers to shut off their engines before refueling.

Even though cars are designed for safety, the unique mix of factors at gas pumps can create hazardous conditions. In rare cases, the heat and electricity produced by your vehicle can be enough to ignite liquid gas that splashes out of the pump or gas vapors in the air. I always turn my car off.. What if you have an engine fire etc. So many things can happen.

It's like peeing and drinking at the same time. Idling is bad for all. I've never seen anyone not turn their car off. How hard is it? Is it really that hard to turn the key again?

I don't get it. Really takes the common out of common sense, doesn't it? I think people don't have a problem with this because nobody wants to leave their car running with their keys in the ignnition for anyone who wants to snag their wheels OBD-II curses everyone. Or it should. In 34 years of driving I've never once seen a car running while being filled. I learned to drive on my grandfather diesel ford tractor, and he always told me that it uses alot more diesel to turn the engine on and off repeatedly than just to idle it down real low when making short stops.

I never really understood the concept of leaving a car running unattended, I turn it off and lock it whenever I leave it. I actually don't think it is a fire hazard to have it running while pumping gas, how would it be more dangerous than driving to and from the pump? The only hazard is static electricity and I don't see a running car producing that. But maybe this is the reasoning behind it - if the car charges up for whatever reason, you might generate a spark when putting the nozzle in or when pulling it out.

Southern California. The car is always off when filling the tank. The thought of leaving it on is bizarre.

I can understand in Alaska or something, but even when I was in Connecticut in the winter, I always turned it off. I've filled my tank with the engine running exactly once I don't know that it's particularly hazardous - I've certainly never heard of a gas station exploding because someone left their car running - but I don't see any reason that it would be desirable to do so under normal circumstances. The heating argument is just silly I always shut off my engine, leave the cell phone in the car, and ground myself on the car frame.

Rule of Thumb: If you're going to be stopped for more than 30 seconds then it's worth it to shut the engine off to save gas. Now I don't know about any of you but I'd say filling up takes me a good 5 minutes from leaving and returning to my drivers seat. Safety etc and all that be damned I'm gonna save myself a little money. But why? Is there some kind of risk associated if you fuel a car without turning off the engine?

The answer is YES. There are a couple of legitimate reasons behind this. This spark of static electricity could ignite the gasoline vapors, setting your car, and the fuel pump burst into flames. A similar thing could take place when you sit back into the car and then return to the gas pump. Your mobile phone could ring and start a fire or spark an outburst. It is also possible that the power sources for phone chargers and cigarette lighters can also be potential accident igniters of a fuel fire.

If you leave your engine running and dash out to the expediency store during refueling, it can create a risk of children inadvertently engaging the drive gear and moving the car with the fuelling nozzle in the tank.