Campaigning with electric cars.

Well I agree with your first statement at least. If it didn't have that low flash point our petrol cars wouldn't start in Winter (or at least not without glowplugs like diesels).

But there are other factors, most significantly the air fuel ratio range it will burn. For petrol it is quite narrow. There is that anecdote about throwing a lighted match into a bucket of petrol and watching your mates run for cover while the match fizzles out. It's because the petrol vapour / air mixture at the surface is outside the combustible range. (Don't try this at home though kids.....)

Compare this with hydrogen which will combust in a very wide range of air fuel ratio, and which requires very little ignition energy to do so - a tiny spark or heat source is enough to set it off. Combine that with its propensity to leak from anywhere and everywhere and I consider it to be far more dangerous. How could it be worse? I know, put it in close proximity to a 600 volt car electrical system.

Petrol isn't even that toxic - ok I don't suggest you drink it  - but there are hundreds of liquid hydrocarbons out there that are far worse.

Thing is, when you've built the bonfire in a bowl in the ground, the sort of bowl where petrol vapour could lay in, lighting it when you're standing in the bowl is a really bad idea.

But quite amusing for everyone else.