My Biggest Complaint About Low Gas Light Freak-Outs

There was a time when we didn’t have those handy-dandy gas lights in the car, you know the ones that tell you when you’re a 1/4 tank low on gas. I remember driving cars where you had to go around a corner quickly to hear the gas swish around in the tank to tell how much you had left.

Now these lights pop on at about a 1/4 tank as if you could not check the gauge in the first place. The light is reminding you of the gauge that you’re supposed to be paying attention to. Funny we don’t have a light for speedometers that would go off at 55 or 65 mph, but that’s a complaint for another day.

My biggest complaint about the low gas lights in cars is that they cause a freak-out in most people. People now rely on the lights instead of the gauge and just wait for the light to come on. When it does finally come on, people freak.

I’ve been with plenty of people who see the light and then start to panic, “I’m really low on gas, I need to find a gas station quick. There’s one!” Then they slam the breaks and cut across four lanes of traffic to get to the gas station before the car explodes from having no gas.

Most of the lights I’ve seen come on at a 1/4 tank, some at 1/8 tank. If you have a 10 gallon tank (which is very small as far as gas tanks are concerned) the light is coming on with at least 2 gallons left in the tank. If you get 15-30 mpg, that’s 30-60 miles you can drive after the light comes on. I’m not even considering the gas left in the line.

Next time the gas light come on, relax. Have fun with it. See what your vehicle is capable of. Drive it like you stole it and see how far you can go after the light comes on.