Mark Boatman | Aug
04, 2014 |
Ben Ritter points to the
decal that shows the number he can call for assistance in fueling up.
Beginning this past July
1, all gas stations in the state of Florida must post a phone number on their
pumps that motorists who require assistance can call to alert an attendant of
their presence. And Ben Ritter is the force behind that new law.
Ritter, a Marine veteran and T6-8 paraplegic, discovered the difficulty of pumping gas in the Sunshine State when he moved to Florida from New Jersey, where it’s illegal for drivers to pump their own fuel. The Americans with Disabilities Act mandated pumping assistance if at least two employees are working at a station but Ritter quickly realized there remained another problem. “The ADA doesn’t state how a driver with a disability is supposed to be able to connect with an attendant,” he says.So he gathered phone numbers of area stations and called them on his cell phone when he needed assistance, which worked so well that he explored whether it would be possible to have all gas stations in his county post their phone numbers.
Ritter, a Marine veteran and T6-8 paraplegic, discovered the difficulty of pumping gas in the Sunshine State when he moved to Florida from New Jersey, where it’s illegal for drivers to pump their own fuel. The Americans with Disabilities Act mandated pumping assistance if at least two employees are working at a station but Ritter quickly realized there remained another problem. “The ADA doesn’t state how a driver with a disability is supposed to be able to connect with an attendant,” he says.So he gathered phone numbers of area stations and called them on his cell phone when he needed assistance, which worked so well that he explored whether it would be possible to have all gas stations in his county post their phone numbers.
Toward this goal, in
2010, Ritter met with veteran organizations, disability groups and businesses
in Hillsborough County to discuss the development of an ordinance. One of
the attendees, Mike Aldred, sales manager for the JH Williams Oil Company, soon
placed decals with phone numbers on a few pumps at one of his CITGO stations.
After receiving increased business from drivers with disabilities, he placed
decals on all of his pumps.
In 2011, placing phone
number decals on each gas pump became law in Hillsborough County and was
eventually passed in six other counties. Next, a bill was introduced into the
2013 Florida legislature — but was quickly defeated because it called for
penalties against gas stations who didn’t comply. Oil companies were
particularly concerned about the possibility of drive by lawsuits. The bill
passed in 2014 and went into effect on July 1. “This is the first law of its
type in the nation and I hope it sets a standard for the rest of the states to
follow,” says Ritter.
Ben Ritter
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