Then he gets out of his car. He has a smartphone in his hand and is making a phone call. He walks around the car, opens the tank cap, grabs the fuel nozzle and fills up his vehicle.

And absolutely nothing happens. Nothing explodes, no sparks fly anywhere. Making phone calls despite the ban on cell phones at gas stations: so many people do it and nothing ever happens. We explain why this is so!

Yes, here we are, wondering why, in the age of ubiquitous mobile communications, a gas station hasn't blown up yet. The answer to this is quite simple: mobile communications are not to blame at all!

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A ban on cell phones at gas stations is not about any radio waves that might react with the fuel and cause it to spontaneously combust. No, this widespread image in people's minds is nonsense.

Ban on cell phones at gas stations: The origins

In fact, many people are not aware of the reason for a ban on cell phones at gas stations. This is actually about the batteries and the purely theoretical possibility that such a battery can fall out of the device, hit the ground unfavorably, which then creates sparks and these sparks ignite gasoline gases.

It sounds crazy theoretically, but it has never happened in practice. In addition, modern smartphones have integrated batteries that can no longer easily fall out of the device.

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Basically, we are actually dealing with a kind of dinosaur among the bans. However, you can still find these prohibition signs. The reason is probably a mixture of ignorance and excessive caution in the event of possible damage if a smartphone were to cause an explosion. At this point, as a gas station tenant, you are at least in a good position when it comes to insurance.

In this respect, however, the ban on cell phones at gas stations would have to be extended to all devices that have a battery that can fall to the ground.

When the cat bites its tail at the gas station

Things are now getting exciting with mobile payment methods: What should you do if even oil companies advertise mobile payment methods at gas stations? OMV describes :

Fast refueling, easy payment and more convenience: Mobile payment is now available at all OMV stations throughout Austria. In just a few simple steps, OMV customers can pay their fuel bill directly at the pump using their smartphone.

So in the future, let's take it with a little more equanimity when someone holds a smartphone in their hand at a gas station. The chance that the gas pumps will blow up in our faces in the next moment is rather negligible.

Note: No, of course we are NOT calling for people to ignore any bans.

This might also be of interest:

Are we all being listened to?

Article image by Montri Nipitvittaya / Shutterstock.com


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Notes:
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