Raise your hand if you’ve ever played the game. If you hear the words “The game” and that doesn’t stir in you a guttural reaction, perhaps even vague panic, you have not played the game. The game is very simple. Your car’s fuel indicator light on your dashboard flickers to life by way of a glowing orange E, and thus the game begins. How far can you go before completely and utterly running out of gas? In this game, there really are no winners…just losers and people who were lucky enough to find a gas station. Aside from the sheer humiliation of having to push your vehicle to the side of the road because your little car used up its last fumes of gas during morning traffic, there are a number of reasons to not let your vehicle’s fuel get so low. Here are three reasons why you shouldn’t drive around on empty – or close to it:

1. Wearing out the fuel pump

The gas in your car “acts like a coolant for the electric fuel-pump motor, so when you run very low, this allows the pump to suck in air, which creates heat and can cause the fuel pump to wear prematurely and potentially fail. This may not be an instant problem, but over time it is something that could have a costly, negative outcome, such as a couple hundred dollar repair.

2. Fuel gauge isn’t always accurate

Your fuel gauge is not an exact science. It’s more of a rough estimate of what’s going on in there. For example, E in your car could mean you’ve got 35 miles before you can’t drive anymore or it could mean game over buddy. The reality is, running on low puts you at risk of getting stranded or being in an accident when the car suddenly stops running on the road.

3. Sediment

Sediment from gasoline settles at the bottom of every gas tank. The lower you let your gas levels dip, the more the dirt gets stirred up from the bottom of the tank. This causes your car to use the dirtiest fuel in its tank. You also risk the dirt getting into your car’s fuel line and engine. If the engine clogs up with dirt, the entire fuel engine system will need to be flushed, which could rack up another hundred dollar bill.

So the next time you’re dipping below a quarter of a tank, choose life and fill up your tank. Don’t play the game. Better still, if you’re tired of having to fill up your car so frequently, stop by Destination Nissan and check out our wide selection of fuel-efficient vehicles.