Safety is one concern voiced by friends and family when I tell them that I drive a CNG vehicle. Most consider natural gas stored under high pressure to be dangerous, evoking thoughts of side collisions and exploding gas tanks. However, this is not the case. Natural gas is actually safer than gasoline for a number of reasons, including the following:

1. The properties of natural gas makes it safer.
• Natural gas has a higher autoignition temperature than gasoline, diesel, and liquefied propane gas (LPG).
• More natural gas must be present (by volume) to reach a flammable limit than gasoline, diesel, and LPG.
• Natural gas is nontoxic, unlike other fuels.
2. CNG tanks are much sturdier and resistant to damage than their gasoline counterparts. (A CNG tank engineer describes the tests a cylinder must pass, here.)
3. Watch the following video showing CNG tank abuse tests and note how resistant they are. Watch how even when the tank/valve does rupture and gas is released, no explosion or other harm occurs.