That can actually be part of the solution. Fearing natural gas is completely understandable. To have it in your home is a personal decision, and begins by having respect for the proper :
--- installation and maintenance (using qualified installers/service employees),
--- use (don't heat your house with your gas stove), and
--- response to a potential leak (don't turn on or off any electrical appliance, don't use telephone, GET OUT, maybe open a window on your way out, etc).
As you have mentioned, we all can probably remember one or more natural gas incidents in our areas that even the above items wouldn't have prevented.
Here are some of mine, with comments in italics:
1. Mid 1980s, Nanticoke, PA - natural gas leak blew up a multistory building. ...can't remember what the root cause was, but the shutoff valve for the service to that building that would have needed to be shut had been paved over for a parking lot.
2. Mid 1990s, Kingston, PA - natural gas ignited and burned down a two-story home, I think it was even on Christmas eve ...root cause was a leak at the connection to the gas main in front of the house. The gas migrated with the service lateral piping (just followed the trench) and entered the house in the basement (meter was in the basement). I'm pretty sure this is the reason that most in not all newer residential installations exit the ground first, then enter the building.
kent