Do you have pump-o-phobia?

From the Department of Head-Scratchers: More motorists this year are running out of gas and calling for help -- so say the auto insurance carriers Allstate and the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Allstate says such pleas for help from January to May were up 52% nationally from the same period last year. AAA says such calls in Southern California have risen 7%.

This is an intriguing little development. It suggests that motorists are so reluctant to cough up another $60 to $100 for a full tank that they can't bring themselves to face the music at the pump.

"We don't have a theory on it, but anecdotally it appears something is going on out there," Jim Klapthor, a spokesman for Allstate, told me this morning. "Is it the higher prices? Is it people trying to squeeze every last drop?"

"It's a bit of speculation on our part," said Jeff Spring, an Auto Club spokesman. "Maybe people are trying to get as much as they can out of a tank of gas and some people may not know how low they can run it, and all of a sudden -- boom! -- they're out of gas."

Both Allstate and the Auto Club expressed safety concerns, given that it's not great to run out of gas while in the high-speed lane or out in the middle of the desert. Spring mentioned, too, that chronically running a vehicle on little gas could lead to sediment buildup in the gas tank and that this could clog the fuel pump, leading to a breakdown.

This is also obviously a phenomenon in need of a name or catchphrase. The term "petronoia" has  been kicking around for some time, defined by the online Wiktionary as the "fear and/or paranoia caused by the economics of oil and petroleum related subjects."

But this is something a little different because it's so consumer-based. Should it be called pump-o-phobia? Pumpus Dysfunctionus syndrome?

If you can think of a better name, hit the comment button below.

-- Steve Hymon

Comments

[Nada]

What about "petrophobia"?

Here is another phenomenon I am noticing - since gas prices go up a few cents/gallon every few days, I stop at my cheapest gas station when my gas gauge reads 1/2 to 2/3 full just to beat any raise in price. You could call this obsession "petromania."

[Dan]

You still are an idiot to run out of gas. Its not like the fill up stops getting more and more expensive if you put off buying gas. You still spend just as much in a year if you let it get low or not. And if you often run out of money before running out of month you need to re-evaluate how much you drive.

[Janet]

Gas Gauge Denias: I can't believe that my $70.00 is on empty!

[Renter91601]

Yep, I went from northridge to north hollywood and ran out of gas as i was comming down the freeway. Lord knows what would of happend if I ran out in the freeway.