Is it Legal to Sit in Your Car While Gassing Up in Missouri?

I think if we're being honest with one another, we'd all admit that we've done this at least a few times in our lifetime. Is it legal to sit in your vehicle while you're gassing up in Missouri? There are rules that address this.

I saw Big River Oil in Hannibal share this question on their Facebook/Meta page yesterday. They asked the question about the legality of fueling up your vehicle and then getting back inside while that pump does it's job.

What does the law in Missouri say about sitting in your vehicle while refueling?

I found the answer from the Thomson Reuters website. It's Mo. Code Regs. tit. 2 § 90-30.070 which says the following:

"a - USER MUST STAY OUTSIDE OF VEHICLE IN VIEW OF FUELING NOZZLE DURING DISPENSING OPERATION"

There are safety reasons why this is important. If you begin fueling and then get back in your vehicle, the American Petroleum Institute warns that you risk static electricity that could be discharged at the pump. That's a very bad and dangerous thing if you've never seen it happen.

It's tempting to want to get out of the cold this time of year when you have to gas up your vehicle. I have been there and done that. But, know that it's not just a safety concern, but also something that can get you in trouble if there is an incident.