Oregon residents can now pump their own gas – as a bill was signed into law Friday ending the Beaver State’s 72-year moratorium on drivers having the right to pump their fuel.
Governor Tina Kotek signed into law legislation that permits people to be able to pick between pumping their own gas or having their vehicles pumped by an attendant, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
Now, New Jersey remains the only state that bars drivers from pumping their own gas as it still requires gas station employees to customer’s tanks.
The nation of South Africa also bans drivers from pumping their own fuel, according to the outlet.
One of the reasons why the state of Oregon initially banned gasoline self-service back in 1951 was because of safety concerns pertaining to the risk of motorists slipping on slick surfaces as a result of the potential for the excess outpouring of petrol posing a threat to residents because of the state’s infamous tendency for gloomy precipitation – that being rain especially .
The new law also forces self-service pumps as well as full-service pumps to have the same prices, the outlet noted. Furthermore, the bill prevents gas stations from offering more self-service pumps than full-service ones.
Before the bill was passed, gas stations in more rural, remote “sparsely populated” parts of Oregon already allowed for drivers to pump their own gas during the later hours of the night as well as when an attendant was not present.
