It's illegal to pump your own gas in New Jersey

Even though all the other states seem to have demonstrate that even the most simple-minded have managed to pump gas just fine, New Jersey still won't let their residents pump their own gas....

I remember back when they first introduced self-serve.  Frankly, I hated it.  I enjoyed the experience of pulling up, hearing the ding-ding after rolling over the tube, and the nice man in the white coveralls came out, and would clean the windshields and mirrors and lights, even check the oil and fill it up.  That was service.

There's even a few service stations like that up here that still provide that, complete with white coveralls and caps.  It's like walking into an Andy Griffith show.

Gotta say it: I hate pumping my own gas. Especially in crappy weather.

Idiot.

SAFETY.

Idiot.

That's a pretty stupid thing to have a law against, what's the reasoning? They're too stupid to figure out how to pull the trigger?


I believe that a portion of the Oregonian argument for "attendant only refueling" was one
of "Social Engineering": in an era/region of high recidivism, one determinitive was
inability of former incarcerees to find/hold down a job.  Enter the possibility of job
opportunities which were 1) plentiful, 2) required no prior experience, 3) easily/quickly
trained, 4) not likely considered as a long-term "career." These were also easily monitored
by a parole officer (assuming that some parole program was in place), such that "return
to society" assessment might be easier/quicker.  It certainly got to the point of many/most
motorists realizing "just who it MIGHT be that's refueling my vehicle."  It's acceptable to
have the attendant fill approved containers that you keep in the trunk; and motorcyclists
were exempt from mandate of having an attendant do the refueling.  And diesel refueling
was exempt from the attendant requirement.