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Petrol - What if you are running low on gas

Submitted by Richard

The fuel gauge reads Empty and you think there's a service station within a few miles. Here's how to conserve fuel by coasting. Turn on the hazard lights and move into the slow lane or onto the shoulder of the road. If your car is an automatic, slowly accelerate to 30mph/48kph, then shift into Neutral and coast until your speed reaches 10mph/16kph. Then repeat the process. With a manual transmission, coast downhill whenever you can, but don't let the car slow to the point where you must shift into a lower gear.

If your engine is sputtering to a stop, turn on the hazard lights and try to coast off the road to a safe spot. Leave the lights on and use a distress signal, such as a raised bonnet or a white cloth on the aerial, then call or wait for help.

Keep an empty fuel container in the boot in case you run out of fuel and can walk to a service station. Never carry petrol in it in the car: the risk of fire or explosion is too great.

Carry a siphon pump or some rubber hose so that another motorist can give you some petrol. But check what grade of petrol it is - leaded fuel will damage a car fitted with a catalytic converter.

After running out of petrol, your refuelled car may be difficult to restart. Press down the accelerator once, then release it. Turn the ignition without pumping the accelerator; you may have to run the starter motor for 15 seconds or more. If the first attempt fails, wait for two minutes and try again. If a third attempt fails, call for help.

Thankyou

Comments by: Betty from North Yorkshire, England Aug 08, 2010

Thank you! I am young female and broken down as I was stupid enough to risk it and your advice really helped. I pushed my car into a safe place turned my hazard lights on and used a signal and I was helped. Never again though!

Best of 2 options

Comments by: Colin from Glasgow, Scotland Jan 10, 2009

I noted the other comments which are well-founded from the highway code, however, if you are alone, either gender, and in a vulnerable location, [or a dangerous bit of road] it would be ludicrous to stop the car and leave it sitting on a blind corner if cars are hurtling around the bends. I know you should stop before you get there, but, humans always thinks they will make it! Best to get clear of the hazard slowly than remain there stationary. Would you be happy to hear your daughter had to get out of her car in the snow, in the middle of the night at a violence blackspot, when she could have made her way to safety at a moderate speed? We have to seperate bureaucracy from common sense sometimes and I don't endorse crawling through the roads at 10-20 mph, but I would prefer those doing so to have hazard lights on. It already happens and it's effective. Think about it. Be safe.

This isn't right!!

Comments by: steve from UK Nov 24, 2008

Three points on this... Hazard lights can ONLY be used when a car is a STATIONARY hazard.
Coasting in neutral uses MORE petrol on modern cars than staying in gear due to the management system on fuel injection cars.
Third, erratic speeds, don to 10 mph as you suggest, are really dangerous, especially on motorways. Lorries need huge amount of time and space to slow and speed up, not to mention that they need to overtake you.
This is quite possibly the worst price of driving advice I have ever seen!