SEATTLE — Flirt with a near-empty tank of gas enough and eventually, you’re likely to find yourself stranded.
Everyone who has ever driven a motor vehicle knows how this goes. The warning indicator comes on telling you you’re low on fuel, and you’d better get to a gas station ASAP. You think you can squeeze a few more miles out of your car — and usually, you can. Maybe even 10 or 20 miles even. But at some point, you invariably push your luck a little too far, and there you are on the side of the road, pulling out your gas can (if you have one) and making the long walk to the gas station.