Yes, it’s true. The new law, which came in on 1 January, 2018, makes it legal for people in parts of Oregon to pump their own petrol rather than rely on the area’s station attendants – not an uncommon task anywhere else in the world.
But a Facebook poll by a local TV station polled viewers quickly attracted a flood of comments from concerned residents:
“I don’t even know HOW to pump gas and I am 62, native Oregonian…..I say NO THANKS! I don’t want to smell like gasoline!”
One user even claimed pumping his own petrol had nearly cost him his life:
“I’ve lived in this state all my life and I REFUSE to pump my own gas. I had to do it once in California while visiting my brother and almost died doing it. This a service only qualified people should perform. I will literally park at the pump and wait until someone pumps my gas. I can’t even.”
However most commenters saw the funny side of the new law.
“I live in Australia. Every year thousands of people are killed by vicious road gangs who are after what little gas we have left. Luckily for us, there is a lone road warrior named Max who patrols the deadly highways looking to protect the innocent. He pumps his own gas too,” one user wrote.
The US is well-known for its inane laws – for example, the state of Louisiana requires people to have a license to arrange flowers.
But if the rest of us manage to pump our own petrol without setting ourselves on fire – Oregon, we think you’ll be alright.
