This is the land of Minnesota Nice, so the logic behind some laws is that they serve as reminders of good behavior to a citizenry that can almost always be expected to do the right thing.
One such law passed last year is for motorists to stay close to their vehicles when using automatic gas pump nozzles in case the shut-off fails. Instances of gas spills led to the law, co-sponsored by Rep. Joe Atkins, DFL- Inver Grove Heights, and Sen. Debbie Johnson, R- Ham Lake.
While it sounds like a good idea, standing next to the pump also increases the chances of a motorist getting doused with fuel.
"I think that's happened to me," Johnson told the News Tribune's editorial page staff Friday, explaining her original bill was to bring Minnesota pumps up to federal standards. Atkins and other lawmakers added the stand-by-your-pump rule.
"There is already a responsibility on the part of the station for the correct operation of the pumps," Atkins said, and the new law was a "belts-and-suspenders" provision to "even better prevent the overflows from occurring."
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So what's the penalty for those criminally negligent motorists who don't watch the pump?
Nothing.
Recognizing that it's impossible to enforce without deploying pump police at every station, Atkins did not include criminal provisions in the law and violators aren't subject to prosecution. Gas stations are required, however, to post notices at pumps warning violators that they may be denied fuel services.
Anyone seen one yet?
