Only in California, and coming soon to a State near you...<sigh>

[daspanic]

You can't make EVERYTHING totally 110% safe or idiot proof. No one can.

Yeah you right Frank...but they are gonna keep trying until we are so dumb we can't even BREATHE for ourselves!!! However this is a topic that will likely get banned from this forum (rules ~ ya know).

Equipment WILL always fail a certain percentage of times and the best we can do in such cases is to be 100% aware of the options and how to deal with the inevitable when it should arise. I've always noted the emergency shut off switches at gas stations and wondered if they have ever been used.

Haney and Bluewagon are great examples of reacting calmly in a crazy situation...we should all be so level headed. Can't say I'd be as calm in the same situation...

At the same time I have to agree with Scott: living in a state that is so poorly budgeted that we threaten to pay civil servants and tax refunds in IOUs I often wonder if we really need more expensive legislation to enforce something that gas station owners should take care of themselves? I mean isn't it less expensive to remove the VST nozzles than it would be to rebuild the filling station and absorb the increase in insurance required to operate said station after it explodes and burns to the ground taking a few customers with it? Seems as though the station owners would want to do this quickly and on their own...but hey, that would be too logical I suppose....

[Striderxl]

Ha Scott NY has done something before California - We havent had hold open levers for years hear. They also have signs saying dont use your cell phone at a pump because someone actually got theirs to spark and cause an explosion, somewhere out there. And I like that I dont have to pump my own gas in NJ because it is still 20-30 cents cheaper than in NY where I have to pump my own.

[rdln66]

I'm sure that is Urban myth Charlie. Cell phone has never been known to start a gas station fire yet.

I suppose if you THREW it at the nozzle whilst it was filling..you might get a spark.

[ziurtoys]

My cell phone rang when I was refueling. Nothing happened. LOL

For further info on this myth.... SNOPES