Community Chat

[gertrudecloset]

@Goodie2shoes 

Thank you for this timely reminder.  Sometimes we can be so distracted with our daily routines that we can sometimes take short cuts if we're in a hurry.  Thoughtful of you to think of others' safety and well being as we come upon the busy holiday season.

[Carmie]

This a good safety alert.  I see people putting gas in their car with the drivers door open every once in a while.

My friends daughter had her brand new car stolen the first time she gassed it up.  Someone jumped into her car and drove it away while the pump was still turned on.  She lost her cell phone, her purse and everything in it.

Also, drive with your doors locked.  My aunt who is a nervous Nelly had someone jump into the drivers side of her vehicle while she was stopped at a light.  He had her drive a mile or two, then just said " thank you" and jumped out.

As nervous a person she was, he is lucky she didn't wreck the car.

I know we all know this stuff, but it only takes a minute to forget.

[kitcat51]

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@Leeny wrote:

@kitcat51 

Where we live a lot of people leave their cars running, especially in the winter time. It drives me nuts. It even states at the pumps to turn your motors off, but people ignore that just like everything else. 

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@kitcat51 wrote:

Who puts gas in their vehicle with the engine running...good grief. I fill my tank on the drivers side, I leave the door open & my purse with keys are with me.

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Yikes, that's just crazy....Thanks for sharing @Leeny.

[BlueFinch]

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@BornToShop wrote:

The minute I get out of my car to get gas, my car is locked.  I always go inside to pay and upon arriving back to my car, I put away my wallet and again lock my car, then proceed to gas up.  Call me paranoid or smart?!?!  

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@BornToShop That's exactly what I do. There is justifiable paranoia these days, but I'd call us smart. 

[hckynut]

@Goodie2shoes 

Know nothing about this particular story. First, the first safety rule when putting gas into any internal combustion engine is: "Always turn the engine off".  I have seen some bad things at race tracks back in my racing days. Guys working on a running engine and another with a gas can.

Something missing in this story. Where did the mom go while filling up the car? I fill ours up/engine always off/keys in my pocket/gas filler is usually a part of the vehicle, where I stand/and I never leave the vicinity of the vehicle. Use credit or debit card.

So this mother went where? Most gas stations I have ever been have a sign on each pump: "turn engine off while filling"

All good tips. I however think too many people do not take driving and other tasks with motor vehicles serious enough. Kids or no kids. 

hckynut 

[Desertdi]

Buy a car with a manual shift.   (It's NOT rocket science.)    It is a good "anti-theft device".....     di

[Nataliesgramma]

We went from not locking our doors or cars at night to security cameras and alarm systems here......different world

[Patriot3]

I never liked that feature on cars where the doors locked when the engine started.  First thing I always did was re-program that feature where I locked them myself.  As soon as I get in the car, all doors are locked manually by me.  I wouldn't feel safe waiting for the car to lock them.

When getting gas, only my door is unlocked.  And if my children were with me, they went wherever I went.   Never left them alone.

[JustJazzmom]

Some cars when you lock them to gas up, also lock the door where the gas cap is, that you unlatch to fill the tank. 

[chickenbutt]

This might also be called paranoid, but another thing I do (as a female who is now older and pretty much defenseless) is that whenever I'm in a public place, like the grocery store or anywhere I go where I need to exit my vehicle and walk to the establishment, and then back, I keep myself appraised of my surroundings all the way to the building/car.

I've known stories where people were followed, or there was somebody lying in wait.  I also look around the other side of my car before I get in.  Before cars automatically locked all the doors when you drove, I also kept my car doors all locked.  I worked with somebody who was stopped at a red light and somebody tried to get into the passenger side of her car.  That is terrifying!