The Reason Why You Should Never Pump Gas With Your Car Running

Turn your car off when you're at the gas pump, or else it will explode. Besides not putting diesel in your gas car, it's the first lesson you learn when you get behind the wheel. While brief, the lesson strikes fear into nearly every young driver's heart, ensuring every car at the gas station is off — but how true is it really? 

You should never leave your car running when pumping gas, so let's go ahead and get that out of the way first. When your vehicle is running, it produces heat and electricity, which are the last things you'd want coming into contact with gasoline, which is highly flammable. While gas stations use a clever way to shut off pump handles, they're still covered in gas particles that could easily ignite. 

It isn't a surefire recipe for disaster, but all it takes is one instance of those vapors coming into contact with your heat-producing catalytic converter. Similarly, any number of electrical faults, like a faulty spark plug, could easily create a spark and ignite gasoline vapors. So, unless you know the exact status of every piece of your car — which is highly unlikely — you should always turn your vehicle off before pumping gas.

Although turning off your car is undoubtedly the number one thing you should do before pumping gas, there are plenty of other actions you shouldn't do at the gas station to avoid a fiery explosion. 

Don't repeatedly enter and exit your vehicle. Like leaving your car running, this builds up static electricity. In the worst-case scenario, the electricity could jump from your hand to the gas pump, causing a spark and igniting gasoline. In a 2010 study, the Petroleum Equipment Institute found that the buildup of static electricity from re-entering a vehicle caused nearly 50% of the gas station fires they studied. So, while everyone knows to turn your car off before pumping gas, entering and exiting your vehicle could be just as — if not more — dangerous. To avoid this, touch a metal surface before grabbing the pump, as it will discharge any lingering static electricity. 

Unplugging any charging accessories will also ensure your car doesn't produce electricity while pumping gas. This can be easily overlooked, but even with the vehicle off, some accessories — particularly those with frayed wires — continue storing energy within them. While it's pretty unlikely to cause any significant issues, it doesn't hurt to be on the safe side.