I don't think the scare of using cell phones while pumping gas ever got too far. It'd be a very easy thing to check -- what were the causes of gas station fires and technically could a cell phone cause that? As an all-electronic device, cell phones normally don't generate sparks.
One does wonder why so many gas station attendants smoke a cigarette while pumping.
Many of these 'scares' come from grandstanding politicians who want to come off as being concerned about their constituents' well being. Cheap, non-attackable, tasteful free publicity.
Another source is the news media, particularly local TV and cable TV news. My local TV stations regularly run teaser ads 'A NEW DANGER ABOUT APPLES, FIND OUT AT EYEWITNESS AT 11!", or, 'WHAT YOUR DOCTOR ISN'T TELLING YOU!" or 'IS YOUR CHILD AT RISK?' and then they tell you about something that's a 1 in 634 trillion chance to happen. Many news shows about have medical segments that are pure quackery.
You don't need to be a scientist to see through this crap, only some common sense and some careful thinking is needed.