Q: Hi Ruler of the Roads. I’m such an idiot. I can’t believe what I did. I was getting gas at a Rotten Robbie in San Jose and my mind was clearly elsewhere.
I drove away with the gas hose still in my tank. Within a few feet, the hose broke from the pump and came crashing down. The employee was very gracious in accepting my ample apologies, saying, “It happens all the time.”
But does it happen all the time? They charged me $117 for the replacement hose, but it looked well designed to be able to break away and possibly be reconnected simply.
While I made a dumb mistake, is that fee justified?
N. R.
A: I’ll let Tom-the-Rotten-Robbie-Man take it from here:
“The unfortunate answer, is yes, the fee is justified. In earlier times, we had breakaways that could be reconnected and reused. Now reusable breakaways are no longer allowed. I guess the good news is that the hoses, nozzles, and pump were not also damaged, which means the breakaway did its job.
“California requires stage II vapor recovery systems (the big nozzle and hoses that carry vapors back to the tank). Other states have determined that now that cars have catalytic converters catching the vapors, stage II is no longer necessary. Because we have catalytic converters and fresh air is going back to tanks, we have to have enhanced vapor systems. One more reason it is so much more expensive to operate in California.”
Q: All the conversation about pedestrian crossing/car interfaces has brought to mind the rhyme we were taught in kindergarten, which may also be me showing my age:
Stop, Look, and Listen,
Before you cross the street.
Use your eyes, use your ears,
Then use your feet!
Cheers!
Linda Stansen, San Mateo
A: So simple and still, so true.
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