Really Really Stupid People

[219]

Is it illegal to run out of fuel on a UK motorway ? Or is that just an urban myth

Not in the UK , but in some countries, like Australia, it is .

 

[whitenemesis]

In Germany it is..

 

[John]

I very much doubt any insurance terms and conditions will state the car must never run out of fuel so the insurance almost certainly will pay out the total claim.

 

[219]

I very much doubt any insurance terms and conditions will state the car must never run out of fuel so the insurance almost certainly will pay out the total claim.

Yes , it is just like the situation if you either were welding , or dropped a spanner onto your battery terminal , in either case setting fire to your car , the insurance will pay out .

Same if you’re in your car and you cause a crash that is your fault - unless you are doing something criminal , like drunk driving , your insurer , with fully comp cover , will always pay your part of the claim .

This is because it is an underlying principle of insurance that an insured party cannot be negligent towards themselves.

 

[219]

I very much doubt any insurance terms and conditions will state the car must never run out of fuel so the insurance almost certainly will pay out the total claim.

There can always be unusual circumstances which give rise to this :

an unforeseen emergency journey in the middle of the night / the one petrol station en route being unexpectedly closed / getting to the petrol station and finding you’ve left your wallet at home .

I’ve done the last one of these , and despite my emergency can , had to gamble on getting home , as it was I got within a mile of my house before running out ( wasn’t about to get her ladyship and then baby son out of bed ) so walked home , got wallet , picked up fuel can on way back , then to petrol station half a mile further back .

Only time I’ve run completely out in something like 30 years ( used to do it regularly in my youth when we were always skint and putting £2.50 worth in before a journey , but that was a long time ago ) .

I doubt that the owner of a brand new Lambo would have struggled with the cost of filling the tank .

 

[Deleted member 65149]

"Is it illegal to run out of fuel?
It might be careless but it’s not illegal to run dry. In fact, the law cites it as one of the reasons you’re allowed to use the motorway hard shoulder. That said there have been cases where drivers have been fined £100 and given three penalty points for careless driving if they’ve needlessly run out, leaving their car in a dangerous position. And in some countries such as Germany it is illegal. The overall message is, it’s much easier NOT to run out in the first place."

Expert advice: Running out of fuel – all you need to know - Green Flag

Nearly a million drivers a year in the UK run out of fuel. Here our expert investigates the problems running out of fuel can cause - aside from the obvious - and looks at whether it's harmful for cars and how easy it is to get a car that's out of fuel started again.

blog.greenflag.com

Thankfully not illegal, or I could have got the first ever points on my licence. A few years ago I was driving a Mondeo (yes, I know that should be illegal in itself!) to our storage location after it had been taken in part exchange. The petrol gauge needle was nudging the red line but the OBC told me that over 30 miles use remained. I reasoned that there’d be no problem with the 10 mile journey via the M3. Wrong! About half way, whilst driving in width restricted lanes due to roadworks, it coughed and spluttered just long enough for me to safely move over to the hard shoulder that had become a temporary lane. With hazard lights flashing I let the car slowly roll to a stop as near to the edge as I could get it. Breathing a sigh of relief that nobody had run into the back, I climbed across the front seats and out of the passenger door, having left the hazards flashing. Whilst sitting on the steep banking waiting for a colleague to bring fuel, I couldn’t help being amazed at how close vehicles were getting before pulling out to pass. It wasn’t long before a car got too close and had to stop with nowhere to go. Then another and another. According to Sally Traffic on the radio I caused a traffic jam of several miles, just because I couldn’t be ****d driving a few hundred yards out of my way to stick a couple of pounds worth of fuel in the tank before setting off!

 

[John]

Only time I’ve run completely out in something like 30 years ( used to do it regularly in my youth when we were always skint and putting £2.50 worth in before a journey , but that was a long time ago ) .

I've never run out but I've come close from obsessing about loyalty points - lesson learnt!

Reminds me of when I had my first few cars in the early 90s... just filling up with £10 or £20.

Gets you bugger all fuel now of course but it filled the car up a lot when it was 60p a litre daan saaf back then.

 

[Deleted member 65149]

I've never run out but I've come close from obsessing about loyalty points - lesson learnt!

Reminds me of when I had my first few cars in the early 90s... just filling up with £10 or £20.

Gets you bugger all fuel now of course but it filled the car up a lot when it was 60p a litre daan saaf back then.

I’m afraid I can remember when petrol prices increased to 5 shillings a gallon in London. That works out at 5.5p a litre!

 

[219]

I've never run out but I've come close from obsessing about loyalty points - lesson learnt!

Reminds me of when I had my first few cars in the early 90s... just filling up with £10 or £20.

Gets you bugger all fuel now of course but it filled the car up a lot when it was 60p a litre daan saaf back then.

When I started driving , petrol was 60p a GALLON !

And I remember everyone being horrified when it reached £1 a gallon .

 

[Chrishazle]

In my mid teens I had a part time job at a petrol station one winter, and as luck would have it I got the island with the 5 star pump so used to get the Jags with twin tanks - and no blow-back stop valves on the pump handles so you had to stand there in the freezing cold holding the pump handle to fill one side, then move over and fill the otheer side, by which time your hands were ice cubes! The other nasty was that, at the end of your shift, you had to take the readings from the 2 pumps on your island and reconcile that with the cash in your belly bag, if it was short it was deducted from your pay! On the upside, this was also the time of the (Austin/Morris) Mini and dolly birds in microskirts, so the view while cleaning the windscreen could be "interesting"!!

 

[219]

I’m afraid I can remember when petrol prices increased to 5 shillings a gallon in London. That works out at 5.5p a litre!

And you would’ve put sixpence in the meter to park all day !

 

[219]

In my mid teens I had a part time job at a petrol station one winter, and as luck would have it I got the island with the 5 star pump so used to get the Jags with twin tanks - and no blow-back stop valves on the pump handles so you had to stand there in the freezing cold holding the pump handle to fill one side, then move over and fill the otheer side, by which time your hands were ice cubes! The other nasty was that, at the end of your shift, you had to take the readings from the 2 pumps on your island and reconcile that with the cash in your belly bag, if it was short it was deducted from your pay! On the upside, this was also the time of the (Austin/Morris) Mini and dolly birds in microskirts, so the view while cleaning the windscreen could be "interesting"!!

I remember on occasion seeing drivers of such Jaags park in the middle and fill from two pumps at once , back then you could latch the trigger so it stayed on .

The pumps have the facility still but the pins are missing ; I really must get a split pin or a nail of the right size and keep it in the car so I can pop it in . Actually a split pin would be good as I kould keep it on the ring with the car keys !

 

[Teego]

I remember on occasion seeing drivers of such Jaags park in the middle and fill from two pumps at once , back then you could latch the trigger so it stayed on .

The pumps have the facility still but the pins are missing ; I really must get a split pin or a nail of the right size and keep it in the car so I can pop it in . Actually a split pin would be good as I kould keep it on the ring with the car keys !

You don't need a pin. Just wedge your fuel cap under the trigger. Go and get a coffee. You'll be full and good to go when you get back.

 

[219]

You don't need a pin. Just wedge your fuel cap under the trigger. Go and get a coffee. You'll be full and good to go when you get back.

I fear the filler caps on modern cars may be too thick to fit , but a good idea !

 

[Deleted member 65149]

In my mid teens I had a part time job at a petrol station one winter, and as luck would have it I got the island with the 5 star pump so used to get the Jags with twin tanks - and no blow-back stop valves on the pump handles so you had to stand there in the freezing cold holding the pump handle to fill one side, then move over and fill the otheer side, by which time your hands were ice cubes! The other nasty was that, at the end of your shift, you had to take the readings from the 2 pumps on your island and reconcile that with the cash in your belly bag, if it was short it was deducted from your pay! On the upside, this was also the time of the (Austin/Morris) Mini and dolly birds in microskirts, so the view while cleaning the windscreen could be "interesting"!!

My second car was one of those Jags with twin tanks (Mk7). Once and only once I filled both tanks. I think that by doing so I doubled the value of the car - at the time!

 

[Petrol Pete]

I remember on occasion seeing drivers of such Jaags park in the middle and fill from two pumps at once , back then you could latch the trigger so it stayed on .

The pumps have the facility still but the pins are missing ; I really must get a split pin or a nail of the right size and keep it in the car so I can pop it in . Actually a split pin would be good as I kould keep it on the ring with the car keys !

I did this on a cold winters day years ago (bit of TIG welding wire) the woman at the till spotted me and gave me a right old top volume boll0cking through the forecourt PA system !!

 

[E55BOF]

When I started driving , petrol was 60p a GALLON !

And I remember everyone being horrified when it reached £1 a gallon .

When I started driving, £1 would buy four GALLONS (over 18 litres for our younger viewers). Suddenly I feel very very old...

 

[Teego]

I fear the filler caps on modern cars may be too thick to fit , but a good idea !

Not theory. I do it all the time.

 

[flying haggis]

I remember on occasion seeing drivers of such Jaags park in the middle and fill from two pumps at once , back then you could latch the trigger so it stayed on .

The pumps have the facility still but the pins are missing ; I really must get a split pin or a nail of the right size and keep it in the car so I can pop it in . Actually a split pin would be good as I kould keep it on the ring with the car keys !

i have a pin from a fire extinguisher on my key ring for just this. used to be bl**dy useful when filling the 400L truck tank (glad the company paid for the fuel)

 

[SW18]

i have a pin from a fire extinguisher on my key ring for just this. used to be bl**dy useful when filling the 400L truck tank (glad the company paid for the fuel)

I’ve seen this in the US; some older petrol stations there have slow old pumps and when the typical family truck / SUV takes 30-35 gallons at a time it does take a while. So the pins are provided in the handle and people use them to shop while they fill.