$20,000 for not switching off

Sheldon Williams Gleaner Writer

President of the Jamaica Gasolene Retailers Association, Derrick Thompson, supports a clause in the Road Traffic Bill recently tabled in Parliament which proposes that motorists who fail to turn off the engine while gas is being put into their vehicle be subject to sanction.

Section 92 (4) says: "A person shall not pour any petrol or other fuel into any tank of a motor vehicle or into any receptacle in or on a motor vehicle while its engine is running, or when any naked light, other than an electric light, is alight in or on the motor vehicle."

The proposed punishment for this offence is $20,000 or 15 days in prison.

It is a much stronger reason to switch off than the standard instruction given by gas station pump attendants. Notably, the proposed legislation does not speak only about service stations and could therefore also apply to persons who are refilling from a container while not at a gas station.

Harsh penalty

"It may sound a little harsh when you look at it, but the truth is it is something that we have been trying to practise in the gas stations. It is something that we ask our members to do, because we know the dangers," Thompson said.

"Engines work with spark, and once there is a spark and there is a gas vapour or gas itself, you know what's going to happen. Everybody wants to be protected. A lot of us practise that already, so I am not surprised that they are putting it into law," he said.

Thompson gave the example of fire fears being realised at a service station while gas was being put into a container. "About three years ago, we had a situation in Manor Park, where it was somebody who was pouring gas in a container and a fire started because of static electricity. So, they are actually talking about preventing putting gas in containers not designed for it. A sewage truck had to out that fire in Manor Park," Thompson said.

Still, he said the fine might be exorbitant but necessary. "We have to start somewhere. I think what will happen is that we will meet with the government and ask them to reduce the fines to something gradual," Thompson said.