The US Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) announced that by 2011, all motorists wishing to buy fuel at petrol stations in the US will have to do so using self-service pre-pay pumps which only accept debit or credit card payment.

The PRA is forcing motorists to switch from cash to cards in order to stave off the increasingly high number of drive-offs – instances in which motorists fill up their tanks and speed away without paying, which authorities say are caused by surging fuel costs. 

The new card-only payment system is set to come as a blow to one third of drivers who, the PRA says, currently prefer cash to plastic, particularly in the context of the current credit crunch, when it’s become increasingly difficult to qualify for credit. The new pre-pay, card-only pumps will not start dispensing fuel until a debit or credit card has been inserted into the machine and approved. Plans for implementing the new technology come as fuel theft costs rise by several million dollars every year.