More proof: Gas station pump accessibility buttons.
These little blue “I need help!” buttons were created by some clueless government official over a decade ago. Gas stations across the country are required to have ’em. Nice idea in theory, except there’s one problem: THEY’RE USELESS.
Maybe if you’re Stretch Armstrong, these buttons are of some benefit, but for 99% of the human race, being able to reach these buttons from your vehicle is impossible. What were they thinking??
The whole pourpose of these buttons is to allow us gimpy folk to get our gas pumped without having to leave the comfort of our vehicles. But if you have to get out of your car/truck/van/whatever to hit the stupid button, then what’s the point?
Yes people, this is my rant of the week.
I’m a C6 quad and surprisingly, I can’t hit the button. But I know fully-functioning paras who still can’t reach these buttons. To solve this ridiculous predicament (how I long for the full-serve days!), I now keep the number of the gas station I frequent in my wallet, and after I pull up to the pump, I just call them and alert them that a person in a wheelchair is at pump <insert # here>, and within a few minutes they come out to pump my gas.
Has anyone figured out a better way to get gas?
– Tiff
That’s a really good idea about calling them, as annoying as it is that you have to resort to that. I go to a zillion different stations, but I should start putting #s of my most frequented ones in my phone. When I go to New Jersey once in a while, I love getting gas because it’s so much cheaper than in Philly and by law, everything is full serve, so no one pumps their own gas. One of the few things I like about Jersey!
lol. i wish MN had that law! man, it’d be so rad if they washed my windows, pumped my gas, and even CHECKED MY OIL by default like they used to here in the 1980’s.
*reminiscent sigh*
I go to one gas station all the time because they give out these little card things that I just wave in the window – I just pull up to one of the pumps right by the gas station store – and they come out and pump my gas. Unfortunately, it’s a BP – and doesn’t necessarily have the cheapest gas…ah well. It is convenient….
Those buttons were probably designed by the same people who designed the braille buttons on the drive up ATMs!
My gas technique, I have kids, so I make sure not to let it get too low so that I am stuck on an infrequent completely solo trip. They pump it for me. 🙂
you could try a type of reacher/pointer, like a wooden dowl with a rubber tip , only thing i’d be a pain to use/find all the time.
jolene: they see u waving? youre lucky. gas station employees over here are too dense to notice anything like that.
steph: kids, yes. i shouldve thought that! lets make them our minions!
abe: yeah, having to use a reacer would get old real fast unfortunately.
I go to the gas station on Chicago & 46th and you just have to honk your horn twice and they’ll come out & filler up. They’ll even check your oil and clean off your windshields depending on your flirting abilities.
Here they have signs that instruct you to honk your horn and someone will come out and help you. Guess how well that works – IT DOESN’T! My wife fills my car every week or two (depending on how much I drive).
yep. the honking is pointless.
There is a full-service station at 70th and France, right by Southdale. An attendant usually is at the pump before I can put my van in park. Best thing ever for a quad.
tyler, u rock! who are u and why dont we know each other already?? 🙂
Keep a reacher, or even a stick or something like that in yoru car so you can push the button with it. Someone mentioned braille on drive thru bank machines. That’s just because all of the buttons are pre made. Why make non-braille ones just for those machines. I’m a totally blind quad, and I did think it was funny at first until I thought about it. Then it just made more sense than making the non braille ones just for them.