Can you pump your own gas in New Jersey? No, and it’s time for that to change: it’s the LAST state in the nation to have this silly law on the books.
In 1949, Irving Reingold opened a self-service gas station in northern Jersey; with no need to pay attendants, he kept prices cheaper.
Competitors tried to stop him with vandalism and even bullets — and when that failed, they got their friends in the Legislature to outlaw the practice. It’s been banned ever since, though overall prices stayed lower than in other nearby states because the state gas tax was so low.In 1949, the New Jersey legislature passed the Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act, which listed safety concerns as the reason its residents shouldn’t pump their own gas.So now the bipartisan Motorist Fueling Choice and Convenience Act aims to let gas stations be full-serve, self-serve, or both.
The bill is particularly timely since some stations are having trouble finding workers, leading to a growing number of closed pumps and earlier closing times that limit the once-abundant 24-hour service. A gas pump attendant fills a customer’s tank while working at the Wawa gas station in Belleville, New Jersey.With every other state allowing self-serve, the safety concerns are now plainly bogus, as is the “it creates jobs” claim.
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