10 Facts Everyone Should Know Before Going To A Gas Station Again

You may have noticed that your gas stations have removed the clip on the nozzle that locks it into place. This is because when you get back into your car while the gas is filling, there is a rare but completely possible chance that you'll get a static charge from sliding into and out of your seat.

This charge can ignite a fire when you go to remove the nozzle from your car.

Reuters reports that studies conducted by Kimberly-Clark Professional show that gas station nozzle handles are host to the most bacteria out of a list of high-traffic objects. Below the gas station nozzle are ATM buttons, escalator rails, and parking meters.

Needless to say, make sure you keep some hand sanitizer in your car.

According to CBS News, owners hate it when prices go up too, because they have to pay more for the fuel. They only make cents on the dollar, hardly gaining any profit.

Try not to take out your frustration with the price of gas on the folks behind the counter.

In New Jersey and Oregon, gas station attendants are required by law to do the pumping for you. This is due to the very real fire hazard that comes with handling fuel. While there is talk of the laws being revoked completely, it's not looking like it will happen entirely soon.

However, in Oregon, you can pump your own gas at night once the attendants have left, so you don't get stranded in the state's vast wilderness.

Synthetic fibers are more likely to catch a static charge than natural ones are, so you should really try to take off that water-resistant jacket if you're filling up, lest you want to be met with a fire erupting from a gas tank.

It may seem strange to see a bunch of gas stations all clustered together at a four-way intersection or off the highway, but Forbes explains that there is a basic science behind it. Game theory and other business science that is entirely foreign to me says that businesses like gas stations would fail if they were off the beaten path. They need to be in an accessible location, so the multiple establishments flock to four-way intersections where their competition is.

If they do succeed in a different location, other similar businesses will flock to that area to get in on the profit.

Each state has its own bureau of weights and measures, believe it or not, and they are each responsible for inspecting gas pumps. You should be able to see when the last inspection was on a sticker at the pump.

NPR investigated and found that it's usually not off by enough to get too worked up about, but the cents can add up over time. To penny-pinchers, this is a big deal!

All the gas is stored in tanks that are buried underneath the station. Each fuel grade is kept in a different tank, and there are plenty of safety precautions that are supposed to keep the whole thing from exploding should a fire start.

It's still kind of scary to think about.

While you see major gas companies' names displayed large and in charge at your local gas station, it's most likely because an independent person is licensing from the company. These individual retailers set their own prices based on what they pay for their gas and what their competition is doing.

Believe it or not, 95% of America's gas stations are independently owned, according to NBC, meaning you may actually be supporting a local business.

Slate explains that gas stations in urban areas are depleting, but not necessarily because there is a dip in demand for the product. Real estate conditions in urban areas mean the space is more profitable as condominiums or office space. There just isn't enough room to have a gas station on such valuable land.

However, gas is also slowly being replaced by natural gas-based fuel substitutes, as well as electricity. So will we keep seeing fewer and fewer of them around?

The answer is yes, definitely.

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