All I have to say about that is
We can only dream…
Ninja edit: Cuz reading is hard…
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Mythbusters isn’t rigorous science, but it is science nonetheless.
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The video is blurry AF, but I think that might be the Opel logo in front, making it even more probable that it’s in Europe. Which also makes more sense in that the attendant obviously felt it was a low risk of the driver shooting him.
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Had to be Europe. They didn’t even push him or anything.
It could have been worse, really
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“I’ll just put this fire over here, with the other fire. Together.”
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I’m sure you’re right, but I still wouldn’t want to be trapped in a confined environment with anything that comes out of those things.
The ATF also doesn’t agree that cigarettes can ignite gasoline, whether in liquid or vapor form:
This isn’t a defence of jerks smoking at gas stations. There’s absolutely no reason why someone can’t wait until they’re clear before lighting up. I just thought it was interesting. I only became aware of this via an imgur discussion on this clip last night.
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It’s the “lighting up” part that’s the problem. Lighters are easily hot enough to ignite gasoline fumes. People have posted .gifs of idiots setting themselves on fire in this thread by lighting up.
The very fact that you equated lighting a cigarette with smoking a cigarette using a common phrase illustrates the problem. A person who will smokes near a gas pump is very likely to be a person who will light a lighter near a gas pump.
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this was sort of the point I was making way up top.
From a science standpoint the likelihood a lit cigarette will ignite gasoline (including fumes) is actually low; however, the risk involved given what the outcome would be if it did ignite is too high to put that to the test. To be clear…the maximum heat output of a lit cigarette is equal to the very lowest heat level required for combustion of fumes and fuel. Sort of have to have perfect conditions so to speak.
The issue is, even in a controlled scenario it illustrates the potential danger and the risk. So in the hands of some moron who could care less about the potential dangers…yeah, it is ill advised to say the very least.
Someone should call 0118999881999119725…3
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Sure, the number is longer, but the drivers are so attractive.
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Worked in and managed a few gas stations in my time…
Flame and burning aren’t the same thing. If you apply a flame to a puddle of gas, it will ignite 100% of the time. If you throw a lit cigarette into a puddle of gas, it will only ignite if the impact causes a spark to throw off.
In both cases, the vapor layer sitting above the gasoline is what initially ignites, not the liquid gasoline.
Gas stations are supposed to have trained all staff for exactly what to do when someone’s smoking by the pumps. Because it happens every freaking day, or at least it did in the late 70s - early 80s when I was in the trade. Typically the person is not even aware that they are smoking, it is automatic action - it’s common for people to pull out a cigarette and when the attendant says “please don’t light that, it’s unsafe around gasoline” the person is honestly surprised to find that their hand is already on their lighter.
When a person’s being defiantly ignorant about it (which also happens frequently, but not every single day) you say “if you don’t extinguish the cigarette, sir, I am required by law to extinguish it for you, and report the incident to police*” at which point they curse you out, angrily fling the cigarette to the ground and crush it out, pay you, and leave.
* not actually true, but it’s what you say.
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In Kentucky it was still happening every freaking day in the early 00’s, and for as far as I know still occurs there regularly (Kentuckians smoke while doing everything)
The whole state woulda burned down by now if cigarettes + gas = fire.
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