SA motorists’ top petrol peeves
Drivers blocking the bowser while shopping, or ordering food and drinks in the mini mart, is South Australians’ biggest petrol station pet peeve, a sa move poll revealed.
The recent poll found that 29 per cent of motorists were frustrated with people blocking the bowser while spending more time in the shop than necessary.
One in six drivers are most frustrated with motorists parking in the rear bay instead of moving forward to the front bowser.
RAA Senior Traffic Engineer Matthew Vertudaches says there’s a simple solution to avoid blocking the bowser.
“If you’re purchasing coffee or shopping at the petrol station, fill up the car with petrol, pay for the fuel, then move forward to a parking spot before shopping or ordering a coffee,” Matthew says.
“This will prevent you from blocking other cars, ensuring a smooth flow of traffic and letting all motorists refuel efficiently.”
Petrol pain points
Waiting for the attendant to turn on the pump (12 per cent) and people parking at the bowser even though they aren’t purchasing fuel (11.8 per cent) were the third and fourth most common complaints.
Why do motorists need to wait for the pump to turn on when they lift the nozzle? At Australian petrol stations, the pump is manually activated by the attendant for safety reasons. This helps stop pump misuse, or if the attendant believes there’s a chance the motorist will drive off without paying, they won’t activate the pump.
Australia, along with Europe, are the two places where it’s common for motorists to pump their own fuel and then pay. In some Asian and African countries, an attendant will pump the fuel for the driver, while in the Americas, drivers pay before they fill up for security reasons.
Top 10 petrol station pet peeves
| 1. Drivers blocking the bowser while ordering food/shopping |
| 2. People parking in the last bay instead of moving forward |
| 3. Waiting for the attendant to turn the pump on |
| 4. People parking in the last bay instead of moving forward |
| 5. Motorists going in the wrong direction |
| 6. Motorists speeding through the servo |
| 7. Drivers blocking the air pump |
| 8. No payment at the pump |
| 9. Arriving when the fuel tanker is resupplying the servo |
| 10. Motorists leaving spills |