Why are people scrambling for petrol?

Jonathan_Powell

Anyone know the best way to find out if somewhere has petrol? I'm paying quite a bit for taxi journeys but can't venture out as my tank is that low. 

Thesaltmustflow

Jonathan_Powell said:

Anyone know the best way to find out if somewhere has petrol? I'm paying quite a bit for taxi journeys but can't venture out as my tank is that low. 

Ask the taxi driver?

born_again

Bigphil1474 said:

Would be interesting to know what the difference is between panic buying and being prepared.

Must be a lot of old boy scouts out there then....

Given from my trip out today. Every petrol station that had fuel had long queue's.
Yet in the previous month before media started the BP story they had none..

molerat

Spoilt for choice, Asda, Tesco, Esso all with no queues - didn't go near the other 3 Esso's.  Tesco had a tanker in, Asda had theirs yesterday.  Heard the Esso in the next town ran out on Saturday but was filled up Sat evening.  Maybe a shortage of idiots being over prepared round here means everyone is able to fill up as necessary and get around.

Advocado

Freecall said:

half_empty said:

Don't really blame the people out panic buying, they are led there by the politicos in power.

I have to agree.  Give the Johnson government it's credit though, not many could preside over such a failure of national management and then successfully blame their electorate for the consequences. 

The government don't own/run petrol stations or haulage firms.  These are private companies who are in control of their own businesses.  If the numbers of HGV drivers is in decline, they should increase the pay and conditions to entise new drivers to enrol or old drivers to re-join.

The business with the DVSA, however, is ridiculous.  

The electorate are to blame in my opinion - the problem is that there is now millions of litres of fuel stored in car fuel tanks rather than petrol stations/storage facilities.

Change the habits in any area and the same will happen.  No-one blamed the governement for the lack of loo roll during lockdown so why blame them for people panic buying at the pumps?

Reginald74

They prepare because they have heard about a fuel shortage which would affect them disproportionately. They wouldn't have needed to otherwise. Doesn't make them idiots.

If any of you needed fuel for something critical, you'd do exactly the same.

Expecting people to 'behave' and put their livelihoods and wellbeing of their families at risk when they hear messages of this type is ridiculous.

Reginald74

The worst side of human nature is people reading tabloid headlines about people filling up when they don't need to, supported by isolated case studies, and generalising that to 'panic buying' idiots'.

I look forward to the deafening silence if this goes on and those people are needing fuel and get caught in a queue themselves. 

jimjames

Bigphil1474 said:

Would be interesting to know what the difference is between panic buying and being prepared.

Everybody else panic buys, I'm just buying because it's essential. (that seems to be the gist of posts on Facebook about petrol queues)

Reginald74 said:

On person's sensible precaution is another smug person's 'idiot lemming'.

The ill-informed judgemental comments are the most horrid thing about any 'panic buying' episode, especially a fuel based one.

Absolutely. Seeing some of the pictures/comments posted is scary, people share pictures of someone filling up jerry cans with associated vitriol but have no idea when the photo was taken. Equally condemning every other motorist as a panic buyer while they're in the queue for fuel. You end up with this kind of thing:

https://www.dailyadvent.com/gb/news/cf1ebb9cb7203431046e3b027cd85a48-Margate-RNLI-crew-members-verbally-abused-while-filling-jerry-cans-with-fuel-for-lifeboats

jimjames

Advocado said:

Freecall said:

half_empty said:

Don't really blame the people out panic buying, they are led there by the politicos in power.

I have to agree.  Give the Johnson government it's credit though, not many could preside over such a failure of national management and then successfully blame their electorate for the consequences. 

Change the habits in any area and the same will happen.  No-one blamed the governement for the lack of loo roll during lockdown so why blame them for people panic buying at the pumps?

Because the lack of HGV drivers is a direct consequence of government policy

Advocado

jimjames said:

Bigphil1474 said:

Would be interesting to know what the difference is between panic buying and being prepared.

Everybody else panic buys, I'm just buying because it's essential. (that seems to be the gist of posts on Facebook about petrol queues)

I admit I panic bought.  It was a pre-emptive "I can see what's going to happen" when I heard on the radio late on Tues/Weds night last week that the front page of a newspaper said there was a fuel shortage or something.  I was confident it would cause people to run on fuel.

I was passing a garage so pulled in and filled up a few days earlier than I would have otherwise done, purely to ensure I got  in there first.