Gas Station + Cell Phone = BOOM?

Alright, yesterday when I was making some TRU runs to pick up some games, I stopped in this Chevron station to get some gas.
While I was filling my tank up, on the same pump but on the other side was this humongous fat bitch, with little kid in tow, filling up her car and some seperate gallon tanks up with gas.

While she was doing this she was blabbing on a cell phone. I was horrified to see this as I know Ive seen video on the 'net of people and gas stations going up in flames for stupid shit like this. I mean theres a reason why there are signs everywhere that say 'NO CELLPHONES'.

So I ask her in a fairly polite tone " Maam, thats kind of unsafe to talk on a cell while pumping gas, could you do me a huge favor and just shut it off until youre done?" -- Well, she doesnt like me telling her this and proceeds to bite my head off. I said "Look, I have a cell phone too, I turn it off because I dont want to die in a ball of flames and take everyone in the station with me - you should show me the same fucking courtesy" (I probably shouldnt have said it like that in front of her kid, but ..) Then she turns to the guy filling his tank up behind me and is like " do you hear the way he's talking to me, this is harrasment, and he just cursed in front of my son..blah,blah,blah... . The guy said nothing and just stayed out of it.

I wish I couldve explained to her the science of why it is dangerous to do what she was doing but I was just pissed off and in a hurry and didnt think she'd understand what the hell I was talking about anyway.By this point my car was filled up and I just said screw this " Whatever - fine die then for all I care" and drove off in a hurry before I ended up burnt to a crisp.

Was I in the wrong for saying all that and being scared for my life, or was I just being a winy little pussy?

What would you guys have done?

Wow, that actually happens? The possibility is there, but chances are there's something else going on that raises the chances of that happening way more than someone on a cell phone.

But I'd punch her in the throat.

I knew nothing about this - I see ppl at gas stations filling up and chatting at the same time, I've never seen any signs placed there to warn about it... wierd.

Every single gas station I've seen has a sign that says no cell phones... Don't know why though.

http://www.safetycenter.navy.mil/articles/cellphone.htm

Quote:

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According to Mr. Benedetti this much is known:

1. Cellular telephones are not designed for use in an environment where an ignitable atmosphere might exist. The owner's manual of most leading cell phone manufacturers states this fact quite clearly. This is also true of many pagers, particularly the "full function" types. Whether the manufacturers have actually tested their products to determine this or are just playing it safe is not known. (There are test procedures and evaluation methods available to determine the safety of a circuit in this regard. Such methods are used to determine the safety of instrumentation devices and wiring that will be used in chemical process operations and similar facilities.)
2. Some simple pagers ARE suitable for such atmospheres; they carry a small label so stating.
3. It would be possible to create an ignition capable spark with a cellular telephone. One scenario involves dropping the telephone in such a way that the battery is ejected and is short-circuited across its charging terminals. This, of course, would have to happen in an environment that contains an ignitable atmosphere.
4. The chance of all the right conditions coming together at the same time are distinctly remote. There are numerous potential ignition sources on an automobile, but the incidence of fires during fueling episodes is rare, to say the least. A study done some years ago in Germany estimated the chance of a fire happening during vehicle fueling from ALL ignition sources as extremely low.
5. There has also been thought on static electricity being a ignition source in some of these fires. The Petroleum Equipment Institute in March 2002 issued a press release warning motorist to be cautious while fueling their vehicles and to follow three basic guidelines while filling up; 1) TURN OFF ENGINE. 2) DON’T SMOKE 3) NEVER RE-ENTER YOUR VEHICLE. Their web site: www.pei.org contains a link to the "STOP STATIC" campaign with useful information.

The bottom line, appears to be: It could be possible to initiate a fire while using a cellular telephone or through the discharge of static electricity while at the same time fueling one's vehicle. Is it likely to happen? Not if you follow the guidelines set out by the experts.

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Not once have I seen a sign saying "No Cellphones" at a gas station. I don't worry about it though, I smoke and leave the car on while filling up.

Never noticed one of those signs at a gas station. But I don't own a cell so it wouldn't ever really jump out at me.

I've only smoked once while standing outside a car (a black & mild) that was being filled up. My buddy looked over the car and said something like "dude, put that shit out I don't want to fucking die here." So I dropped it on the ground and stamped it out. A few seconds later I apparently passed out and fell over. The next thing I knew my head was in some old ugly ass lady's lap with a damp cloth on my forehead. I'd fallen over and landed straight on my head and an ambulance was called. They checked me out and tried to get me to go to the hospital but since I didn't have insurance and I had just taken 2 big bong hits less than a half hour earlier I declined. So I went back to my buddy's place and smoked some more pot and tried to ignore the giant bump on the back of my head. Why I just rambled on about that, I don't know.

I thought the Myth Busters cracked this open as a myth only?

This was on Mythbusters. It isn't true.

This excerpt in the quote Chux put up is what was crossing my mind:

The bottom line, appears to be: It could be possible to initiate a fire while using a cellular telephone or through the discharge of static electricity while at the same time fueling one's vehicle. Is it likely to happen? Not if you follow the guidelines set out by the experts.


especially seeing as she was filling a seperate plastic container up with gas. But then again the container was sitting on the ground so it should have obviously been properly grounded <shrugs> I dont know maybe I did spaz out :sweat:

I know a friend sent me a video link of a guy talking on a cell phone at a gas station and while talking the guy caught ablaze - of course Im still searching for the damn thing.

Theres a lot of shit on the web that says it COULD happen, but itd be 1/100 something chance of it happening...

heres some info I found on static electricity and gas stations so I dont scare anybody into going psycho like I did.

http://www.smohit.org/pdfs/cellphones.pdf

and heres a video of a girl catching her car on fire through -- well-- Im not sure whether she had a cig. in her hand or if it was static electricity -- take a peep:

http://www.big-boys.com/articles/gasfire.html

Yea the no cell phone signa re all over gas stations here in the northeast. I always wondered about it. I don't talk on my phone usually when pumping gas since I down want to disapear in a fire ball.

Lol @ the girl in the video.