Today I did something I've never done before.
I ran my gas tank so low that the little warning light came on. That has never happened to me before.
After a traumatic incident when I was home from college on winter break where I ran out of gas on the side of an extremely busy road because the gas gauge broke and read half a tank when it was really empty, I have been overly cautious to make sure I fill up in time.
I've been so careful in my car that I wondered if the caution light actually worked. My gas gauge is a little funky and will read really low when I go up a hill and then creep back up as I go down it, but never has that little light come on.
But today it did and boy did I pay for it at the gas pump. I put close to $50 bucks into my car, which I haven't spent on a tank of gas since prices were much closer to $4 per gallon.
I think the moral of the story here is that if I don't let my gas tank get so low, I will a) spend less money at the pump and b) avoid a panic attack.
I can't remember the last time that I filled up without that light being on. Actually, in my car I have a display that actually says Low Fuel, but the fact remains - I have been waaaaaaaay to close no so many occasions.
It is good knowledge to know how much gas is left in your tank when that light does come on.
My car holds an eighth of a tank when that light comes on - which is probably once a week for me - since I drive a long commute daily.
An eighth of a tank initially seems like a small amount - until you
realize that that is 2 1/2 gallons on a 13.7 gas tank.
I have a minimum of thirty miles to go before the car is really dead on the road.
Panic is for those who are uninformed or unprepared.