Refilling your car with gas is pretty obvious as it is needed by the car and there are times when it becomes really a routine and you may not give too much attention to it already. Well, there are some precautions that you can actually do every time you go to a gas station. This is to protect you, your passengers, your car, and even other persons as well.
It may also depend if it’s a self-service gas station or if there are service crews that help you out when you refill. First off, make sure your engine is turned off since a single spark may ignite the fumes of the gas and it could cause accidents. Do not smoke or light up any flame of some sort while refilling at a gas station. This is obvious but I’ve seem some stubborn people lighting up cigarettes.
Use of your mobile phone is not really dangerous. I’ve even seen the Mythbusters prove that calling or texting, or even the signal could ignite the gas fumes. However, using your cellular phone divides your attention. And you may not be fully aware of what’s going on around you and this also applies everywhere and not only in gas stations.
Well, here are some more tips that you could use while filling up your tank. Always make sure that the meter is at 0. This will ensure that you get what you paid for. After filling up your gas tank, check your fuel gauge to see if it goes up. Cars have different capacities when it comes to gas and the gauge differs as well. But you should familiarize yourself as to how many gallons your tank can hold and how your fuel gauge works.
You should try to have an idea how high it goes up when you fill it up with a gallon. Check the prices and make sure you are familiar with the price of the type of fuel you are using so you won’t get cheated. Get a receipt as well.
This is also a great time to check up on your vehicle while refilling. Check the oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid, tire pressure and water in your radiator. If there are service crews, they’ll usually check them out for you. Doing these small maintenance routines can extend the life of your vehicle and could really prevent inconvenience in the future.
Aside from these, you should check your environment as well. Watch your surroundings and observe if there’s trouble anywhere or if there’s something serious going on. Close your windows and keep your belongings.
Well, most of these tips are pretty obvious but again, who knows? Setting aside some of them may do you bad instead of good. It won’t hurt to take precautions. As most would say, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
