I had a mishap at the gas pump

[Steve #1]

Allow me to give this almost dead horse one last blow.

Per the Texas State Fire Marshal's Director of Special Projects in responce to my question:

#1: "I have noticed that almost every gasoline pump has a sign on it with a number of warnings, the first of which is almost always "stop motor while fueling" or something to that effect. I'm curious if this is due to a risk of fire. If it is due to a fire risk, what is the specific factor, and how is it more of a risk than for instance, a vehicle with an engine idling next to one that is fueling."

WS:"This is a fire related requirement. It is to lower the posibility of ignition from the engine. The proxmity of the motor to the tank being filled versus the adjacent vehicles seperated by distance fom the despensing is the reasoning."

#1: "Thank you for taking the time to respond to my question.

How often are fires caused by fueling with the engine running, and are there any laws against running the engine while fueling?"

WS: "Most fires at stations are caused when people do not return the hose to the despenser and drive off wiht the hose still in the task. This is why the despensers have to be equipped with hose break a way devices on the despensers.. Few incidents are now traced to the running of a vehicle motor while filling. This is probably because most people follow the law and shut off their engines."