Is nitrous an oxidiser, or is what it disassociates into when it hit 585F an oxidiser?

I was at the industrial gas shop saturday picking up a bottle of nitrogen and my wife asked the clerk in the case of an in-car release (IE: get in an accident and the valve gets knocked off) whether nitrous oxide or nitrogen was more dangerous.

The guy said nitrous was more dangerous because it's a liquid and an oxidiser.

My assumption is the N2O is not an oxidiser at room temperature any more than CO2 is. It just becomes one when you get it hot enough to break down.

My question is, am I correct or is he?

 

according to osha's website and thier MSDS sheet nitrous is labeled as an oxidizer. Its usually labeled as an oxidzer as well on containers. Im sure that its oxidizing capabilities increase greatly when its broken down...but it probably retains some oxidizing properties even as liquid N20. But I am no chemist so if you find something out let me know.

 

So what are the symptoms/reactions of beeing oxidized?
Laughing/Rusting?

 

Main Entry: ox·i·dize
Pronunciation: 'äk-s&-"dIz
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -dized; -diz·ing
transitive senses
1 : to combine with oxygen
2 : to dehydrogenate especially by the action of oxygen


Main Entry: ox·i·diz·er
Pronunciation: -"dI-z&r
Function: noun
: OXIDIZING AGENT; especially : one used to support combustion (of a rocket propellant)...or other.

Nitrous is an oxidizer, period.