Why Is There An Arrow Next To The Gas Pump Symbol?

I never knew, and I actually can't believe I never even questioned why it was there.  My last two or three cars have had an arrow next to the gas pump symbol on the instrument panel.

As I finally went to the owner's manual to find out how to reset my clock after the time change, I came across the section on the gas pump symbol with the arrow.  My goodness, who would have thought.   I remember driving a rental car and stopping to check which side the gas tank was on before I pulled up to the pumps.   I did not need to do that.  The arrow next to the pump tells me which side.  On my car, the arrow is on the left of the pump, so that is the side the gas cap is on.   So I pull to the right of the gas pump.

Live and learn.    I was so excited to learn that little fact, I just had to tell everyone.