Do People Explode at Gas Pumps or Not?

By Tim Grubbs
July 22, 2008
Business, Technology

Most likely, everyone reading this article has at one point or another heard the horror stories about using a cell phone at the gas pump - for fear that a potential electrical spark could ignite gasoline vapors into a deadly fireball. Most people think it’s little more than a rumor, but apparently a college student near New York City, New York learned the hard way that it isn’t just a rumor. In fact, most cell phone manufacturers include somewhere in the 300-page owners manual, which nobody ever reads, that cell phones shouldn’t be used in places like fuel transfer stations, or any similar place where one would not be inclined to light a match.

So why do gas pumps today house all sorts of electronic gadgets? ABCNews.com ran a story today going on and on about how cute it is that people might not be so disappointed about gas prices when the pump is outfitted with a little TV screen (probably showing news coverage of Obama). The story covered the ins and outs of marketing and profitability, but mentioned nothing about the hazards of operating electronic equipment in the vicinity of volatile vapors.