Community Forums:

I read once where there was an investigation of fires occurring at gas stations when people were putting gas in the cars. Apparently under the right circumstances a static spark can jump from the fuel nozzle to the filler neck and ignite the fuel vapors. One of the information items they were collecting for each incident was the type of tires on the vehicle. So the grounding characterists of the tires was one of the many variables involved in trying to determine the cause of these fires.

I don't mean to be an alarmist, the incident rate must be extremely low. Also, how many people turn off their cell phones at gas stations (about zero?) even though there are signs that say they can ignite a fire.

Another caution concerning static and fuel. Always put portable gas containers on the ground to fill them. Never fill them in the bed of the pick up or in the vehicle. At least that is what the safety precautions say.
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'80 242 DL (20 years, 315k miles, retired); '95 855 GLT, (190k miles, suddenly retired by 16 yr old daughter); '99 V70 XC 105k miles and counting . . .