[Huck]

All of the above is why I prefer placing the fuel tank as far away from the people as possible. There was a test years back that showed a chevy truck flipped on it's drivers side and slidding down the road. The fuel tank cap popped off spilling fuel and the whole thing basically when BOOM!! If you saw the film, you would immediately find a way to get that tank out of the cab!!!!!!!
Pumps push fuel easier then sucking but the primary reason was fuel injection. it requires a lot of pressure and a mechanical pump is not nearly as efficient--it also saps HP. Some vehicles have two push pumps--one in the tank and another prior to the injection. Either can fail and still run.
Quickest way to ruin a in-tank fuel pump is to run the tank dry--pump overheats and dies. Another killer way is to run el-cheapo gas like Marithon---it had some substance that would kill fuel pumps.