Hello and welcome to the August edition of the MotorMouth newsletter.

In this month’s editorial we will be covering some basic safety measures when filling a car with fuel. Although electricity related accidents at service stations are not common, some instances have occurred and the following safety precautions have been identified to minimize potential refuelling hazards.

Guidelines for Safe Refuelling

1. TURN OFF YOUR VEHICLE ENGINE.

2. DO NOT SMOKE, LIGHT MATCHES OR LIGHTERS WHILE refuelling AT THE PUMP OR WHEN USING PETROL ANYWHERE ELSE.

3. DO NOT USE YOUR MOBILE PHONE (OR ANY OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICE) - TURN IT OFF AND LEAVE IT INSIDE THE VEHICLE.
Battery powered equipment such as mobile phones, pagers, and cameras represent a potential ignition source. Mobile phones can ignite fuel or fumes. Mobile phones that light up when switched on or when they ring, or if dropped, can theoretically release enough energy to provide a spark for ignition.

4. DO NOT RE-ENTER YOUR VEHICLE DURING refuelling.
Avoid potential static electricity problems at the petrol pump by staying outside your vehicle while refuelling. Motorists should not get back into their vehicles during refuelling. It may be tempting to get back in the car when it is cold or for any number of reasons. Staying outside the vehicle will greatly minimize the likelihood of any build-up of static electricity that could be discharged at the nozzle. Motorists who cannot avoid getting back into the vehicle should always first touch a metal part of the vehicle with a bare hand, such as the door, or some other metal surface, away from the fill point upon exiting the vehicle.

5. IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT A STATIC-CAUSED FIRE OCCURS WHEN refuelling, LEAVE THE NOZZLE IN THE FILL PIPE AND BACK AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE. NOTIFY THE STATION ATTENDANT IMMEDIATELY.

6. WHEN DISPENSING PETROL INTO A CONTAINER, USE ONLY AN APPROVED PORTABLE CONTAINER AND PLACE IT ON THE GROUND WHEN refuelling TO AVOID A POSSIBLE STATIC ELECTRICITY IGNITION OF FUEL VAPOURS. CONTAINERS SHOULD NEVER BE FILLED WHILE INSIDE A VEHICLE OR ITS BOOT, THE BED OF A UTILITY TRUCK OR THE FLOOR OF A TRAILER.

(This information has been kindly provided by the Australian Institute of Petroleum – http://www.aip.com.au/industry/safety.htm.)

In other MotorMouth news, don't forget to enter our fantastic MotorMouth $500 Fuel Giveaway! To enter or learn more about the competition, click here. The lucky prize winner will be determined from a random draw of eligible entries received before 5pm on Wednesday, 1 September 2004. The prize will be drawn on Thursday, 2 September 2004.

Good luck with the $500 Fuel Giveaway and please contact us if you have any questions, suggestions or comments regarding MotorMouth and our money saving services.

Until next month...

Bernadette Murray
Marketing Manager - MotorMouth
bmurraymotormouth.com.au 

Damien Reid, our guest editor, with more fascinating news on the Fuel and Auto front.
How OffRoading Affects your Econmy
Recreational vehicles - or four-wheel drives - represent the fastest growing sector of the Australian new car market, yet they are also the most expensive to run.
[Read more]

Thin Wire Helps Reduce Emissions
A tiny wire placed inside the exhaust pipe of cars and trucks could hold the key to massive exhaust emission reductions without any loss of power, economy or substantial price rises.
[Read more]

New Car Reviews proudly supplied by News Limited.
Alfa Romeo Gets Fresh
ALFA Romeo's 166 sedan has been made over with refreshed exterior and reworked interior. Mechanical changes to the four-door Italian are limited to reducing road noise, vibration and harshness levels; personal comfort is a safety feature according to Alfa.
[Read more]

Medium Cars on the Rebound
MEDIUM sized cars are returning to favour following an alarming slump.
[Read more]

The average, lowest and the highest prices for last month in each city were:

The price leading service stations for each city last month were:

Brisbane	Service Station Woolworths Petrol Address corner Laughlin Street & Kinsgston-Beenleigh Road Suburb Kingston Average Price for month 83.9
Sydney	Service Station Caltex/Woolworths Address corner Warringah Road and Cornish Avenue Suburb Beacon Hill Average Price for month 92.1
Melbourne	Service Station Safeway Petrol Address corner Main Road & Souter Street Suburb Eltham Average Price for month 92.1
Adelaide	Service Station Coles Express Address West Lakes Boulevarde Suburb West Lakes Average Price for month 92.5
Perth	Service Station Caltex Address Great Eastern Highway Suburb Rivervale Average Price for month 91.1

MotorMouth is committed to helping Australian motorists get a better deal on fuel by providing them with free and easily accessible information on fuel prices.

Reproduction of the whole or part of this email constitutes an infringement of copyright. All information published in this email is intended to be used for your personal use only and can not be used for commercial use without the prior written consent of MotorMouth Pty Ltd. For data sales enquiries please contact salesmotormouth.com.au