Pa. County Adding Scannable Pump Decals for Smartphone Users

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Drivers in Cumberland County, Pa., will soon be able to determine whether a gas station pump is dispensing the proper amount of fuel by using their smartphones to scan decals posted at the pump, according to a Patriot-News report. The scannable bar codes on the decals will also provide the date of the pump's last inspection and the results of that inspection.

The county is adding the new decals to pumps as they are inspected, so only a few sport them so far, according to Cumberland County Weights and Measures Director John Bitner, who believes the county is the first in the state to offer such technology.

Eventually, the county will expand the amount of information available through the decals and make it interactive, Bitner told the newspaper.

Many fuel pumps still display signs warning against the use of cell phones while fueling up, due to the risk of fire. But the link between cellular phones and gas pump fires is a long-debunked myth, according to experts. Bitner noted that if gas station owners object, the new decals can be placed in another location that consumers can still access.

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