Gas Guzzlers: NJ May Become Last State With Full-Service Stations

It looks like New Jersey is driving the highway of full-service gas stations by itself.

As one of two remaining states in the country to prohibit self-serve gas stations, New Jersey is on the verge of standing alone, as Oregon recently passed a bill through it’s state assembly calling for a partial lift of the ban.

The Oregon House unanimously passed a bill allowing counties with less than 40,000 residents to keep self-service pumps open to motorists when owners, operators, or employees are not present to provide assistance, oregonlive.com reported.

Legislators proposed the bill due to so much vast space between stations in remote areas of the state that motorists were being left to sleep in their cars until service was open in the morning, the report said. A full passage of the bill does not make the state entirely self-serve, however.

That leaves New Jersey, which enacted its full-service legislation in 1949 when lawmakers agreed only trained attendants should handle flammable liquids, nj.com reported.

It doesn’t seem New Jersey residents want to grab the nozzle any time soon, either. A Fairleigh Dickinson University Public Mind Poll in 2012 showed 63 percent of residents were just fine with a gas station attendant doing the work for them.

What do you think, New Jersey? Do you like being a full-service state, or would you rather pump your own gas? Tell us in the comments!