December is here and it's getting cold out. It was 15 degrees on the way into work this morning.

I don't mind the cold, but I certainly don't love it and I wanna stay warm whenever I can, you know, like when I'm pumping gas!

So, I broke the ultimate gas station rule the other day and filled my tank while the engine was running and I felt pretty guilty about it.

IS THERE REAL HARM IN PUMPING GAS WHILE YOUR ENGINE IS RUNNING?

While it's technically not arrestable; however absolutely finable, you really should never pump gas when your engine is running.

HERE'S WHY...

Static electricity.

While there is a minimal chance of a fire occurring, leaving the engine running increases the chance of gas vapors igniting if they come in contact with static electricity. -familyhandyman.com

It's winter after all, and we know that static electricity is more predominant in the winter.

We all know never to smoke near the pumps; however, the jury is still out on the cell phone argument.

Filling up while your engine is on will probably not hurt your vehicle besides tripping the check engine light, but you can seriously hurt yourself if the gas vapors ignite.

THERE IS THIS, THOUGH, TOO...

When the car is running, every part of it is hot and so, there is an increased chance of ignition.

If a single drop of gasoline spills on the ground, some components of the car might catch fire. Some of these components are exhaust pipe, catalytic converter, and the engine. -whenitruns.com

It is safe to say, I will not be doing this again no matter how cold it is outside.