Should Mobile Phones Be Used In Petrol Stations?

[ivan edake 13]

For years petrol stations have displayed notices telling drivers not to use mobile phones on the premises.Now many are displaying notices telling drivers they can pay from their seat with their mobile phone.Has it suddenly gone safe to use a mobile phone or was it never unsafe?

[Janus 28]

I thought the prohibition referred to outside of your vehicle.

 

EDIT:

Unsure about petrol vapour entering open windows on a vehicle, & and being on the phone inside the car  at this time.

Edited January 10, 2020 by Janus
Additional points

[Waldo 96]

What's the rational for this? Are radio waves combustible, or is it considered dangerous because it's a potential distraction? What specifically is it about mobile phones that makes them dangerous in petrol stations?

[ianparkin 11]

I have always thought that the possibility of a spark being generated from a mobile was a bit suspect

remember under the bonnet of all older petrol cars is a spark generator with an open spark gap ( inside the distributor)and numerous other electrical switches capable of sparking

dont remember many cars catching fire or causing congrafulations  at filling stations

[Waldo 96]

Found this.

 

https://www.ukpia.com/policy-focus/health-and-safety/mobile-phones-on-filling-station-forecourts/

[kidley 48]

i do know that in the eighties if you used a cb rig in a petrol station it altered the reading on the amount of petrol you put in your car, on your side.

 a phone also transmits.  

[Arthur Ritus 30]

search for mythbusters on this one, they tried many attempts to ignite a petroleum vapour atmosphere with mobile phones with no success, however they did get an ignition from some nylon clothing   .

However when it comes to health and safety most organisations don't let facts get in the way of rules.  

 

i can now see all customers being asked to remove any synthetic clothing before filling with petrol 

[nikki-red 307]

My driving instructor told me it was more because of the distraction they cause rather than anything scientific. 

I thought at the time that it made sense regarding drivers and people walking about, but why would the ban include passengers?

Edited January 10, 2020 by nikki-red

[alchresearch 214]

On 10/01/2020 at 21:01, nikki-red said:

I thought at the time that it made sense regarding drivers and people walking about, but why would the ban include passengers?

Yep, I've been "shamed" from the petrol station staff via the tannoy for using my mobile phone while sat in the passenger seat with the doors and windows closed.

 

They don't seem to bother any more though.

[Albert the Cat 0]

The ONLY way a mobile phone would cause a fire is if you physically punctured the lithium polymer cell. 

[bkcin 10]

I was told during a fire safety course that the rational was more around the potential for static electricity being generated by taking the phone out of your pocket and how that could 'potentially' ignite fuel vapours.

 

But with most fuel stations offering pay at the pump these days people are always taking wallets/phones/cards out of their pockets it must have been deemed extremely low risk.

[barleycorn 10]

On 10/01/2020 at 20:57, Arthur Ritus said:

search for mythbusters on this one, they tried many attempts to ignite a petroleum vapour atmosphere with mobile phones with no success, however they did get an ignition from some nylon clothing   .

However when it comes to health and safety most organisations don't let facts get in the way of rules.  

 

i can now see all customers being asked to remove any synthetic clothing before filling with petrol 

Top Gear did it too. They soaked the insides of a caravan in several litres of petrol, chucked in a couple hundred mobiles and called them all simultaneously. Nothing happened.