Rule on turning off engine at filling stations being blatantly flouted

1/24/2016 3:28:20 AM

(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat-

Everyone knows that it's mandatory to turn off their vehicle's engine at fuel stations. However this rule continues to be blatantly flouted by motorists.

What's more some customers do not like station staff telling them to turn off the engine. Signs on fuel dispensing machines clearly list this instruction among several others and the ROP does fine violators. However a large number of drivers do not seem to care for their or others' safety.

Here's what Muscat Daily found out from a random survey at different filling stations belonging to the three main fuel marketing companies in the country (Al Maha Omanoil and Shell filling stations) in the city during different times of the day.

Only four out of 48 cars arriving at a filling station in Qurm turned off the ignition during the time that the survey team was there. At a filling station in Amerat the number of law-abiding drivers was just one out of ten and at a Ghubra filling station drivers of none of the eight cars present there had their engines switched off.

An unwillingness to switch off the engine seemed to be hardwired into most people coming to a fuelling station. 'It is a culture issue which needs to be changed through cooperativeefforts from regulatory bodies marketing companies customers and NGOs' an official from the Oman Oil Marketing Company (omanoil) told Muscat Daily.

The official said 'Our company trains its fillers to implement civil defence instructions and practise safe filling procedure by strictly following the rules and regulations. Yes part of the training is to communicate the rules to customers and advise them to turn off the car engines not use mobile phones not smoke and not use unsafe containers.'

He said that these rules are well communicated at filling stations. 'We have reported many cases where customers objected to following the rules such as not turning off their car engines. Our employees try to communicate these rules to customers to raise their awareness and make them follow the law.

'There are cases when the company refuses to serve customers violating safety rules; some have been reported to the ROP to protect people's lives' he said.

Attendants at filling stations agreed and said that most customers do not follow rules. 'To convince customers is a very difficult task some even shout at us when we request them to switch off their engines' said a filling station attendant.

The Omanoil official added that his company is working hard to change drivers' perceptions towards safe habits. The company has been conducting several awareness campaigns and continually uses social media to communicate safe practices at filling stations.

How often do you see motorists not switching off their engines when filling up? E-mail your comments to

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