Why You Need To Keep Your Gas Tank Full

Why you need to keep your gas tank full, or at least 3/4 full, is critical these days. I used to say keep it 1/2 full. I had to up my game because if we lose power the only gas you may have to “get out of dodge” is in your car right this very minute. Did you grow up hearing to always keep your gas tank half full? I remember my dad telling me to keep the gas tank filled! I am always worried I might run out of gas, you can call me a Nervous Nellie.

For me, I worry that I might get stalled in traffic. We drive to California every so often. Sometimes we are lucky and the traffic flows really well. The trip should take about six hours. Once it took nine hours in the heat of the summer. Luckily we had filled the gas tank because we were driving at a snail’s pace, less than 5 miles per hour for long periods of time.

Why You Need To Keep Your Gas Tank Full

There were even periods when the freeway was at a standstill. People were looking for a place to “relieve” themselves. Others were hiking to the top of nearby hills in hopes to see how far ahead the stoppage was. Imagine, others were sitting in the middle of the freeway playing cards with other stranded drivers. Hard to believe!! I’m glad we could run the air conditioning during the severe summer conditions that day.

We would turn the engine on and off just so we could tolerate the severe heat. Our car is always packed with excess water bottles and we were able to share as many of those bottles as possible to those who had no way to hydrate themselves. We typically have several snacks packed in the car like nuts, granola bars, etc.

Keep Your Gas Tank Full

I keep hearing about fires, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes in different locations of the country this summer and pray that the people can evacuate safely, and hopefully that their gas tanks are full enough to get them out of danger. This is where we really need to have a PLAN. I am talking about a plan where you as a family sit down and decide where you might meet if you had a serious situation hit your home, street, school or workplace. We might not all be home at the same time. If you do run out of gas or you are at a dead stop for hours at a time on a major freeway or other road be sure and have some items that would help in your car. Emergency Car Kit This plan needs to be written down and discussed in a family meeting.

Some of the younger ones may not fully understand, but kids can recognize danger and the need to learn proper evacuation techniques. Maybe the plan is to go to “grandma’s house”, the local school or church, the library, or your favorite place to eat. Somewhere that ALL family members can remember. The family also needs to practice what steps to take when they leave home, such as grabbing the “Grab and Go” bag that has been safely stored where all are aware, that has been stocked with whatever items YOUR FAMILY feels are critical, like prescriptions, etc. If you have a pet, please make an emergency pet bag to grab and go with.

You May Have to Evacuate

My friend’s daughter had to evacuate her Myrtle Beach home and was scrambling to buy water at a local grocery store. This was during Hurricane Matthew. Some stores were selling a 24-bottle case of water for $30.00. Yes, $30.00!! As soon as the word got out on social media that stores were over-charging people, some were cited and told to stop this nonsense. She had to drive to five gas stations before she found one that had ANY gas left to fill her car. Luckily she and her husband and their dog were able to evacuate safely to higher ground a few hours away from the storm.

Emergency Preparedness

A few years ago, thousands of people were directed to evacuate their homes along the Outer Banks areas of North and South Carolina due to Hurricane Arthur. In this case, it wasn’t simply a matter of a short drive to the designated location in the neighborhood. This meant leaving the place they called home and driving to a location that was safe.

Can you imagine how many families were lined up at the local gas station waiting their turn to fill up? What a scene! We’ve had some similar circumstances due to wildfires here in the West. You just never know when a situation may come up where having a full tank of gas can make a difference in the health and safety of your family. Think about what is happening to others and get your plan in place, which includes keeping the gas tank in your car above half full, whenever possible. Thanks again for being prepared for the unexpected. May God bless you and your family.

Readers Tips:

Susan The Farm Quilter:

Great advice! When there is no power, gas cannot be pumped, so even if a gas station has gas it will sit in the tank until power is restored. I’ve also been in those freeway-turned-parking-lot situations, but it was in the mountains during a snow storm which had caused several semis to jackknife – not fun at all to deal with the opposite temperature problems you had! I don’t let my gas tank get below half, but I’m going to start keeping it 3/4’s full!

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