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Misused and Faulty Vehicle Gas Caps Waste Gas and Oil

5 October 2000

Misused and Faulty Vehicle Gas Caps Waste Gas and Oil, Damage the Air and Environment, and Cause Injuries and Deaths on the Road: Research by Wisconsin Entrepreneur Cited by Automotive Industry Journal 'Service Tech Magazine'

    BROOKFIELD, Wis., Oct. 5 At least 17 percent of vehicles
on U.S. highways have missing, misused or faulty fuel caps, resulting in
476,000 tons of vaporized hydrocarbons, 147 million gallons of vaporized gas,
and the waste of more than nine million barrels of crude oil every year.
    The September 2000 issue of Service Tech Magazine, a
controlled-circulation membership publication of the Service Technicians
Society, published an article titled "The Gas Cap: More Important Than You
Think" which cites research conducted by Brookfield, Wis., based RAM Products.
    "RAM Products Limited, a company that provides health, environment, and
safety solutions, conducted its own independent gas cap test to study what
effect misused or leaky gas caps might have," the article states.  "They (RAM
Products) confirmed that at least 17 percent of vehicles on US highways have
either missing or misused gas caps.  Based on the approximate two hundred
million licensed vehicles in the U.S., the 17 percent failure rate translates
to 476,000 tons of vaporized hydrocarbons, 147,000,000 gallons of vaporized
gas, and 9,200,000 wasted barrels of imported crude oil per year."
    Not only is the impact on the environment severe, but faulty gas caps also
cause accidents and deaths.
    "(Studies) by RAM Products, in accordance with State Farm Insurance,
American Family Insurance, Allstate Insurance, and Travelers Insurance have
shown that the incidence of fires in vehicles accidents could be reduced by as
much as 10 to 50 percent if proper gas cap use was followed; subsequently,
this could help in lowering accident injury and fatality rates," the article
states.
    Richard P. Shaw, President of RAM Products, says that the importance of
gas cap safety has been overlooked by both the federal government and by the
public.  "This critical safety device has been left to discretionary use by
the general public," he says.  "It is being abused as we speak at service
stations worldwide as drivers fill up their gas tanks.  As many as 17 percent
of these drivers leave their gas caps loose enough that they serve no purpose,
presenting an immediate health, environmental, and safety issue."
    Shaw says that correspondence he has received from Vice President Al Gore
and Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold indicate that the federal government is
aware of the gas cap crisis, but action to improve or resolve the problem has
not been undertaken.