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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Children in petrol stations

80 replies

Twickerhun · 09/01/2020 07:33

At our local petrol station the staff serving told another customer that children under 16 must stay in the car and not go on the forecourt or to the shop for health and safety reasons. I always thought it was customers choice of you let your kids out of the car? For what it’s worth I would leave the baby in the car when I fill up but if I’m there with teenage children I let the teenagers out of they want to go to the shop. I think it should be parental choice and AIBU to think this rule is too much?

OP posts:

Original poster

Twickerhun · 09/01/2020 10:52

Interesting thoughts thank you all
This petrol station is also a Sainsbury’s local shop and has no pay at pump.

OP posts:

Dahlietta · 09/01/2020 11:00

TBH, just do Pay at Pump. If you're only buying fuel, I can't think of any good reason to go and faff about queuing in the shop.

There are 4 petrol stations within 30 minutes' drive of my house. The furthest one is the only one that has pay at pump.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 09/01/2020 11:01

No unaccompanied children on the forecourt is a safe rule.

Whether it's safer to leave a child in the car or take them into the shop is an individual thing but they should be next to the parent at all times- and not touching the fuel pumps etc.

coconuttelegraph · 09/01/2020 11:04

TBH, just do Pay at Pump. If you're only buying fuel

I assume you don't go to many petrol stations if you think they all have pay at pump, surely that's the minority of them

Hepsibar · 09/01/2020 11:11

Hadnt thought of it. I always felt nervous of leaving them in the car in case they were kidnapped! But obv it's prob more likely they'd get run over if left to run around ... if there were those parents who let their children run round.

katkit · 09/01/2020 11:19

i'd never leave a baby in a car whilst getting petrol unless i was truly knackered and they were asleep - it's a potential massive fireball!

kierenthecommunity · 09/01/2020 11:24

Also don't know of many petrol stations that have toilets unless they are service stations on motorways or major routes

I know of several, we have a lot of garages that incorporate a Spar/Subway/Starbucks/Greggs near here, so I guess the toilet is for people eating there.

kierenthecommunity · 09/01/2020 11:25

i'd never leave a baby in a car whilst getting petrol unless i was truly knackered and they were asleep - it's a potential massive fireball

Presumably if the car sent on fire so badly it went up in a ball of flames so would the petrol station. So you’d all be simultaneously burnt to a cinder anyway 😃

GiveHerHellFromUs · 09/01/2020 11:27

If I've got the baby with me I'll only go to a petrol station with pay at pump, but I'm very lucky that there are 3 supermarket petrol stations within 2 miles of my house.

I thought the 16yo rule was just that nobody under 16 could use the pump.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 09/01/2020 11:28

very weird considering ours in part Tesco express...what if someone is walking and wants to just go to the shop and not fill up on petrol....Are we just banning kids from supermarkets>

coconuttelegraph · 09/01/2020 11:28

it's a potential massive fireball!

Potentially but have you ever heard of this happening?

Children being injured in car accidents happens literally every single day, ,children having accidents in the home is again an everyday occurance. Do you even give those things a second thought?

FredFlinstoneMadeOfBones · 09/01/2020 11:30

It's definitely a strange rule. No children unsupervised goes without saying but no kids at all is a stupid rule. It's perfectly safe for a child to get out with their parents and go into the shop (have them hold your hand - it's just like a car park). I wouldn't leave my DC alone in the car. I guess they can implement that rule if they like but I would just use a different petrol station.

Frariedeamin · 09/01/2020 11:31

There is no way in hell I would leave an unattended child in a car in a petrol station. Some petrol stations use fire suppression systems that displace oxygen and could kill someone stuck in a car. I used to work in a petrol station and saw too many instances of people smoking whilst filling up!

Basecamp65 · 09/01/2020 11:32

My daughter worked in a petrol station and she said there were near misses with cars hitting people ( adults as well as children) as they crossed the forecourt several times a day and actual accidents requiring help a couple of times a month and requiring an ambulance once every year or so - I guess they have had a few incidents and have had a knee jerk reaction - I suspect the rule will be relaxed in a few weeks.

The cases of cars being hit by other cars is much much rarer than pedestrians being hit. She worked there for three years and it never happened and it had happened only 5 times in the garages 30 year history and no one person had ever been hurt - just fender benders.

So the risk is - leave them in the car and it might get hit once every 6 years. Take them out of the car might get hit once every fortnight.
Seems pretty clear which is the most risky.

FredFlinstoneMadeOfBones · 09/01/2020 11:35

@Basecamp65

That's not at all typical. I worked in a petrol station for a year part time as a student and never saw a pedestrian getting hit. I saw one or two near misses but that was mainly people not paying attention. If you look carefully before crossing over the forecourt you'll be fine. I definitely wouldn't want a toddler in the car who might unstrap themselves and fiddle around in the car.

carly2803 · 09/01/2020 11:40

i never leave my baby/kids in the car when i pay for petrol. ever. so much can go wrong.

I would avoid that station if i culdnt take my kids in the shop! (although i always pay at the pump!))

Isabella70 · 09/01/2020 11:41

...and presumably, they also say that cars have to be locked while the owner is in the shop. So let's see - a locked car with a three-month old in it. What could possibly go wrong with that?

MamaGothel · 09/01/2020 11:41

TBH, just do Pay at Pump. If you're only buying fuel, I can't think of any good reason to go and faff about queuing in the shop.

Pay at the pump doesn't work with many basic bank accounts.

BuzzShitbagBobbly · 09/01/2020 11:49

they are betting a kid is more likely to get hit by a car running about on a forecourt than kept in it.

Last summer I was driving through a relatively busy forecourt to get to the exit when a girl of about 13 came running out of the shop at absolute full pelt back. I was going slowly anyway so was able to stop, but the event made me swear quite loudly (windows down, so it carried).

Her mother then had a go at me for swearing, as if that was the main issue at hand. The girl was lucky she only learnt some rude words, that day - not a whole bunch of medical or surgical terminology.

GiveHerHellFromUs · 09/01/2020 11:52

@BuzzShitbagBobbly realistically she's 13 so you probably didn't even teach her any new words

Rosebel · 09/01/2020 12:01

I always left my children in the car when I paid. Far safer and easier than getting two children out, across the forecourt, back in the car and strapping them in again. I very rarely see children in our local garage but do agree 16 is a high age limit.

BuzzShitbagBobbly · 09/01/2020 12:05

GiveHerHell

Siameasy · 09/01/2020 12:12

The rule isn’t enforceable anyway. So if you let your 15 year old who walks to school on his own pop into the shop to get a Coke what exactly are the staff going to do? Absolutely nothing.

Siameasy · 09/01/2020 12:14

And further to that whether you choose to leave your child in the car or bring them with you to pay is entirely your business and again if the garage don’t like it, what are they actually going to do - not let you pay?! Call the police?!

WeeSleekitTimerousMoosey · 09/01/2020 12:17

I've seen police called to petrol stations because queues have backed on to the road before now, so yes, if parents were causing delays by taking small children out of cars while they pay I imagine the police would be called.

Can't say as I ever remember seeing parents do such a thing though.

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