Posted by loonee
how many of you out there turn off your mobile phone when filling up gas for your car? I know most of the gas stations have "no mobile phone" sign hanging. do you really follow the "no mobile phone" regulation?
Posted by Bianca
I never heard of the fact that you have to turn off your phone at the gas station so i never do that. I have never seen signs saying that you have to turn off you phone
Posted by BobaFett
@loonie where are such kind of warnings?
Posted by djpowelly
Oh, they are in nerly every petrol station in the UK!
... i can't drive (only 14!), but when i go with mum or dad, i never do.... i'm still alive aren't I?!? Also, i read somewhere, that it would have to be alot of people at once using their phones to cause a spark!
Posted by Bianca
I saw a movie from the internet once of a woman who only touched her car, and it already cause a spark (due to static electricity) but indeed phones could cause a spark, but here in the netherlands are no warnings
Posted by rdnymllnsktr
You are supposed to turn your phone off in gas stations, due to the fact that they can cause a small electrical spark (very rare, though). In your manual, after the instructions, go to the fine print, and you'll see it.
If you read this, you'll see that you are also supposed to turn your phone off in blast zones, due to the fact that a cell phone can set the explosives off (cause they use remotes to detonate).
Posted by Bianca
that must be it, i never read the manuals of my phones
Posted by Ayush
@Bianca that's very interesting to note
Yes here in India too there are such signs 
but of-course no one follows then just like ppl rarely follow the rule of wearing ur seat belts ( i do 
)
Posted by slattery69
its nearly impossible i saw an experiment on british tv were they put abpout 50 mobile in a caravan full of petrol and rang them all at the same time nothing happened in the end they used a microwave to set off an explosion so its very hard but i suppose people are just scared of been sued so try to cover every angle
Posted by GreatDane
If you have ever watched that show MythBusters on the discovery channel, then you might have seen the episode that tried to prove this myth fact or fiction. They concluded that a cell phone will in no way cause a spark to ignite the gasoline, but usually if a person gets in and out of their car and does not ground themselves, by usually touching a piece of large metal on the car, IE: side door panel, then they can build up enough static electricity
Here are some links where you can go if you want to actually read more on this...
about the cell phones: http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/gasvapor.asp
and about the static electricity: http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/static.asp
Posted by loonee
i read over the safety precautions in the phone manual, about the potential explosive atmospheres such as; gas pumps, chemical plants etc. I am just wondering how many people out there, who have mobile phones have such kind of knowledge.
Posted by Chazzer3
If u live in england and watched braniac, you'll know that they tested the Idea of phones at petrol/gas stations and it had no effect, however governments still think that after one accident everyone is at risk!
Posted by Scally_cadet
In theory if you drop your phone and you battery falls out theres a chance it could spark and ignite fuel vapour in the air.
Posted by corez
The last 2 years or so Nokia mobiles have exploded a couple of times for no reason, mabye those insidents have something to do with does regulations?
Posted by vanquish
well. i dont wanna get scientific in my physics lesson...
phones give off static electricity and this can somehow cause a spark?!?!? but honestly the other week we were learning about electricity and how it can affect stuff in petrol stations but ma book is at school and i cant remember!
DD
Posted by Cula
I don't think there are anny danger using your phone on a gass station. It is just to be crefull, the warning hn the phone manuals I think is to stop anny law suits against the brands. In Norway we have had this cell free sone in hospitals, but now some of the biggest hospitals accepts use of cell phones.
Posted by boto43
Hospital and petrole station are 2 different places. No explosive atmosphere in the hospital but we can't say this about the petrole station.
Posted by batesie
its actually because the pumps are connected to the kiosk by radio waves. the petrol man can activate them remotly and it sends the amount back to the kiosk. mobile phones can block out the signal. not blow up the station ......
Posted by Stan
@Batesie 10 out of 10 mate, that is the exact reason. It can jam the pump to such an effect that you get FREE fuel. Had a mate who could do it with a CB radio a few years back. Would pull into a petrol station put a few quids worth of fuel in and then transmitt on the CB. The petrol would keep flowing but the pump would not send the final amout to the kiosk! so he would only pay for a small amount of petrol.
So chill there will be no explosions only the chance of some free fuel!
Posted by batesie
someone rang me and i had already started filling up. the pump stopped dead and i had to go in and pay for the small amount id put in and then go back out to fill it up again. think theyve got a saftey cut out system to stop it now.
Posted by rencomp
at Stan, i never try it before but i have CB in my car. See if it will work here in the Netherlands
btw Over here we are able at some stations to pay the bill with a mobile phone (something like 'telepay' )
Posted by jep900
heres one for you all,petrol station sign posts have mobile phone masts in anyway so that could cause more probs than ya phone being on,the thing i dont understand is who can plastic be a conductor? mmm that means wood paper,picking up the petrol pump oh thats metal on metal thats more dangerous
Posted by Jowi
every gas station here has a warning to turn off cellphones
Posted by dephanix
They dont actually care that much in britain, i e-topped up my phone, it failed, so i went back in and i showed it to them, they didnt care. My 3100 got rubber keys, thats an insulator, im safe!
Posted by slamEVIL
@greatdane - i beat you to that answer, see?
cell phone + gas station = urban legend.
Posted by lalilulelo
hahaha..... man on fire
u know when you refuel your car.. u will smell some octana thingy.... i think it is gas and the phone redio wave will cause explotion. Then the fire will burn into the car's petro tank by burning the gas...
Posted by GreatDane
Hey, sorry to bring back an "old" post, but I got some nice pictures that go along with this that I took today while filling up my truck. Do these count as ironic?
Posted by gelfen
the warnings are in place partly due to the radio blocking issues - but that really only applies to older petrol stations. warnings against using two-way radios were in place long before mobile phones.
however, the issue actually relates to the hazard level of the facility because a petrol station is essentially a storage facility for flammable liquid. i work in the chemical industry, and whenever i visit a site that has a potentially high explosive risk due to on-site inventory they confiscate mobiles, electronic car keys, portable cd players, etc. because these items have not been certified as safe according to hazardous goods/hazardous area legislation. a mobile phone can potentially spark on answering due to a small buildup of electric current in the circuitry - especially if there is a fault in the electronics. basically the prohibition on mobiles at servos is to cover their backsides so that you get sued for the damage (that is, until some dumb-ass american with a room temperature IQ claims they should employ people to confiscate them after he blows up a servo on the interstate because he was too self-absorbed to obey the signs).
Posted by jomni1
Just as long as you stay in your car and don't go out and fill up gas for yourself, you're quite safe. It's the rubbing contanct combined with the phone signal that sets off the explosion. If someone fills up gas for you, you won't have any problems. That's my theory. We also have these signs here in the Philippines but all our gas stations are not self-service.
Posted by loonee
@GreatDane, thanks for the picture. in indonesia the people here are ignorance about warning signs, they don't bother about it. when i am at the gas station i still see a lot of people using their cell phones, these nuts are putting other people at risk because of their ignorance.
there was this guy who was filling up gas at his auto-repair shop, and his cell phone rang, he answered it and out of the sudden, the whole place was engulfed in fire. he suffered 70% burned, and died a few days later.
Posted by GreatDane
whoa! k, well i made sure i hadn't started pumping gas before i took the picture, however, there was a guy at another stall that was talking while putting the nozzle into his car.
Posted by pharaon
Here i PERU there is no warnings at gas stations. About the microwaves , it works only at low frequencies, dont worry about it.
Posted by lalilulelo
my dad just pumped fuel while using mobile phone today afternoon and he was safe, lucky
Posted by gardar
Well there are no signs like that at my country (iceland)
Posted by YET 555
better to be safe than sorry