Doh! Motorists try to drive on empty tank on motorway

The Highways Agency think it is plain ol' 'forgetfulness', not necessarily so, as last year as many as 340,000 drivers  have been deliberately running low on an empty tank because they don't want to pay for petrol. They'd rather scrimp and  be stranded on the roads even with their kids. 
Source: my finances co.uk

On the motorway, it is simply crazy with all these people stuck on the hard shoulder, with others who have broken down punctures due to a 'real breakdown'.

Perhaps instead of spending their money on expensive cars, alloy wheels and fluffy pink steering wheel covers, they can put it towards their petrol:-)  Isn't that too much to ask?

They can save their money perhaps cut down on their fags and drinking too, we all know how expensive that is. Then, cut down on their speed. Let's hope they're not 'coasting' down the motorway too: I don't want to know!

There always seems to be an 'excuse' why they run their vehicle on empty, always someone else to blame. It's never themselves.

Keep your distance motorists - the motorist in front may have no fuel.

And, then there's the 'chancers,' motorists in far too much in rush to get petrol.

An Old Saying ,You have to Cut your Cloth according to your Measure.It is no use getting a big Car if you cannot afford it, you have to Drive according to the  Speed Limit anyway. Those high Performance Cars are way to Powerful for the Normal Roads anyway. It is a waste of Money Buying them except if you need it as a Status Symbol,something to show off in. A Poseur,Look at me I am very Rich, I am Mr Bigshot.It is like a Young Teenager trying to show off in front of the  Girls,they have to get a big Powerful Motorbike or a Car then put in Fancy Double Exhausts and an Aerofoil Plus they get Rid of the  Silencer on the  Engine. In other Words a Boy Racer that the Police Hate.In this Day and age because of Recession they would be better off with a Fiat Bambino or a VW Polo more Economical.

And over across the Pond in South Carolina they also face these these disorganised and self-stranded motorists. In fact they say that they cause serious accidents because other motorists, who have actually bothered to pay for petrol, and even queued up, have to swerve round them:

Cars are expensive and this not only at the Dealer but then comes the maintenance and taxes as well as the cost of pollution wish sadly is not yet taken into account though and will have to be beard by all tax payers once we realise that we need clean air to breath in order to stay alive and water that is not polluted by toxins used in the industry such as mercury fund in the head light of each car. Wish still today is being handled rather carelessly.

Nowadays we have a car "driven" Society that never learned the basics of Physics and Mathematics or dynamics and energy conversions.

Driving a 200 Horse power car at 3000 RPM would use about 25 litres per 100 Km, where as driving the same care at 1500 RPM and never over that would use only 10 litres of Gas per 100 Km.

Better yet, why not Drive a 50 Horse power care in stead? It uses a lot less gas and gets from point A to B in the same amount of time, taking into account speed limits and traffic lights as well as safety factors.

Another factor never taken into consideration is what it would cost some one would they have to feed 200 horses for a day instead of a baying and fuelling a car. Ironically in the long run the Horse may actually be cheeper and more environment friendly and most will settle for one Horse rather then two hundred of them or simply take the subway or buy a bicycle instead.

The benefactors of the bicycle here would not only be the environment and once own health but it would also save money on the gym member ship since that one would no longer be needed either.

Further it would be less noisy and maybe even more courteous of a life for all.  

What does that say about society?

How many of us drive on an "empty tank", metaphorically speaking.

Motorways something I have never experiences, though I have been on the US superhighways.

Thanks for putting up the video, Sara.

When I looked at the video, with the 100mph speed of the police in pursuit, the last thing you want  are a string of 'self-stranded' motorists being on the hard shoulder, particularly at night- time.

I have also just rung up the police about the law on motorists running on empty on motorways. And you know what, there isn't one. Not even a fine. It's not an offence: it is no wonder loads of motorists drive on an empty tank on the motorway in Britain, because 'there's nothing stopping them'. What kind of dopey country do I pay my taxes for? 

The police, however, that said that in Germany 'there is a law'. Good for Germany, they're on the ball. After all, they have the superfast Autobahn over there and they don't need petrol-dodgers.  They have common sense. This is Britain, and any more 'silly motoring laws' will upset the motorists' and 'our voters' and Gordon Brown's Government is ASLEEP. How many times do I say that? I should 'macro' that phrase. It is more important to protect the dozy motorists who don't put petrol in their tanks than protect people's lives. They're let lose on the British motorway, and the Government thinks 'it's fine'. Maybe they should see these people hogging the hard-shoulders, and wining because they can't afford the towing fee.

One thing is, he did say, was that the dozy motorist has to move after one hour, otherwise it will be towed away with a minimum charge of a whopping £250.

Motorists who don't put anything in their tank or use cooking oil, should lose points on their licence and face a fine. Saying that, even if they do put cooking oil in their car, at least they are putting SOMETHING in, not driving past numerous petrol stations and not buying any petrol like some dipstick. A big sign saying BP outside a petrol station, one would have thought, have triggered some kind of response, even in a motorist with 'Empty Tank' in his (or her head):-)

Us cyclists should have some kind of comedy show in the Edinburgh Festival, we have lots of material.

I have just looked at the Highway Code and there is nothing saying that motorists have to make sure there buy enough petrol for their journey on a motorway. Yes, it may be obvious but as you can see, some motorists 'just have to be told', and it is not there:-)

Is our Government run by Yip Yip Martians from the Muppets?

Some motorists are at least trying to make sure they get from A to B on the motorway but using devious means - they are the 'cunning cooking oil motorists':

How many of them are breaking down on the motorway?

Interestingly, there is a jail sentence for using cooking oil but no jail sentence or a fine for having no petrol on the motorway.

Wow, this is certainly illuminating.  I think we must have this sort of problem in the USA also,  although I haven't really heard much about it.  Excellent story, and one which needs some of these solutions applied quickly,  certainly!

In the US, the situation is just going up and up: so much so, but they don't appear to have any useful stats, which is very odd:

A report from CNN:

 "As petrol prices rise, drivers are trying to go further without filling up. Calls from out-of-gas AAA members in Philadelphia doubled from May 2007 Though national statistics on out-of-gas motorists don't exist, there's plenty of anecdotal evidence that drivers unwilling or unable to fill 'er up are gambling by keeping their tanks extremely low on fuel".

The thing is Obama does have a lot to do, for one thing, sort out Bush's mess.

we should all drive up together and just take the gas and pay if we want....all we do is get robbed by the ultra rich and their boot licking diplomats...lets give it back to to them..!

Am sure he did not do it deliberately,did he.?

Homer Simpson would be soooo proud