Why can't you pump your own gas in Oregon? (law, food)

[ajams22]

Originally Posted by V8 Vega

Your paying for this unnecessary work with higher gas prices. Stupid law.

Not really true. At all.

Gas prices (current as of today, May 31) via AAA's Fuel Gauge Report:

Oregon (Portland-Vancouver): $2.53-$2.66
Washington (Seattle-Bellevue-Everett): $2.64-$2.80
California (Los Angeles-Long Beach): $2.83-$2.95

[warrpath4x4]

there are realized exceptions to the rule of no self service, motor cycles, boats, and classic cars. trust me, nobody wants to scratch or spill gas on any of those and would just rather the owner handle to nozzle.

[ccjarider]

Filled up in a medium sized Oregon town at noon on Saturday. It was crazy busy due to holiday weekend. Folks were able to fill there own car as it moved line along. Thank god there some normal thinking people in parts of this state that offset crazy Oregon politicians.

The guy said local police chief refuses to enforce the stupid law. Good for him!

[bler144]

Oh good, we haven't had one of these threads in a while.

I'm ambivalent. Does it secure jobs? Maybe. Would I get better efficiency doing it myself? Definitely.

If there was a place where I wished there was someone to always pump my gas it would be Minnesota in wintertime. Yet somehow we always managed.

[redguard57]

The Oregonian covered this a couple years ago. It's based on a 1950s safety law that was just never repealed. Back then pumps were not electric/automatic and most stations were full-service. Handling gas pumps then was more dangerous than now.

The last attempt at repeal was on the ballot in the 1980s and it lost pretty handily. I think the Oregonian polled the state at the time they did the study and found that over 50% of Oregonians would vote to keep it.

The gas law supports 10,000 jobs statewide. If that were a single employer it would be an Oregon top 10 employer. It adds to our gas prices by about 5 cents/gal and our time per fill up by 30 seconds at worst (as timed by Oregonian reporters in OR vs. WA). We have lower state gas taxes and so we still have cheaper gas than Washington and especially California. I would vote to keep it ANY day at that number of jobs. 5 cents per gallon is a lot cheaper than 10K people on welfare rolls. Unless the ghost of Paul Bunyan comes and tells me there'll be 10K timber jobs to offset the loss of gas station attendants, I'm for keeping it.

There is also a safety factor - my wife greatly appreciates the gas station attendants at night. I have never been solicited or threatened at an Oregon gas station at night but it's happened to me in WA & CA more than once.

[IowaRose]

Redgard57, that is the sort of answer I was looking for. I figured there had to be a law that people could not pump their own gas. (Thanks to all who responded to my post, as well.)

I can see the safety factor of not having to get out of your car at night, that makes sense.

[BendLocal]

Why can't Oregonians pump their own gas? Let us count the reasons | OregonLive.com

But despite big safety advances in pump and auto technology, Oregon voters and legislators have resisted changing things. In fact, the statute contains 17 justifications for the self-serve ban. They run the gamut from protecting small children left in cars to preventing spills to keeping older drivers from "unreasonable discomfort."

[Nema98]

A former college professor told me it was due to some labor laws in the State of Oregon. This article states the reasons. New Jersey is similar in that sense, which I did not know.


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fill...tion_attendant

[pnwguy2]

Bottom line, if you are not used to it, (as in out of state drivers), it is awkward. Drivers first want to jump out of their vehicles out of habit, but then usually quickly realize they are in Oregon. Especially when the attendant comes up to you with "what can I get you?". By then, it sets in. (for most, but not all!).

So you creep back into your car with your ego deflated. Then when they start to clean your windshield (not always), you feel even more vulnerable. Why is the attendant doing this? Should I roll up my side window? Should I tip? Should I just say "thanks"?

Should I wait until they place gas cap on before starting my engine? (The answer to that is a definite yes).

Oregon gas stops. Always interesting and sometimes entertaining.

[ccjarider]

Originally Posted by redguard57

The Oregonian covered this a couple years ago. It's based on a 1950s safety law that was just never repealed. Back then pumps were not electric/automatic and most stations were full-service. Handling gas pumps then was more dangerous than now.

The last attempt at repeal was on the ballot in the 1980s and it lost pretty handily. I think the Oregonian polled the state at the time they did the study and found that over 50% of Oregonians would vote to keep it.

The gas law supports 10,000 jobs statewide. If that were a single employer it would be an Oregon top 10 employer. It adds to our gas prices by about 5 cents/gal and our time per fill up by 30 seconds at worst (as timed by Oregonian reporters in OR vs. WA). We have lower state gas taxes and so we still have cheaper gas than Washington and especially California. I would vote to keep it ANY day at that number of jobs. 5 cents per gallon is a lot cheaper than 10K people on welfare rolls. Unless the ghost of Paul Bunyan comes and tells me there'll be 10K timber jobs to offset the loss of gas station attendants, I'm for keeping it.

There is also a safety factor - my wife greatly appreciates the gas station attendants at night. I have never been solicited or threatened at an Oregon gas station at night but it's happened to me in WA & CA more than once.

As state is looking for $ probably better to raise a gas tax and offset by doing away with this unnecessary cost.