Tuesday, June 26, 2018

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN LIGHTNING HITS A CAR...How safe are you in the car?



This is the  normal  question we always ask ourselves: 
"WHAT HAPPENS WHEN LIGHTNING HITS A CAR?" 
"IS IT SAFE  TO REMAIN  IN THE CAR DURING  LIGHTNING?"
To answer this, lets take the case of Zimbabwe that has one of the highest lightning strike deaths per year and the newspaper carried a lightning strike death count during the rainy season to be  somewhere around 200–300 per year. There were very few if any, caused by lightening hitting a vehicle. Hence in most lightning strike cases, the outer conductive shell of the car act as a Faraday cage and the passengers are not injured.


In reality, the rubber  tires aren't why you're safe in a car during a lightning storm. In strong electric fields, rubber tires actually become more conductive than insulating. You're safe in a car because the lightning will travel around the surface of the vehicle and then go to ground. This occurs because the vehicle acts like a Faraday cage. If you are in your car, you may be safer than an unenclosed structure, but you should still be careful not to touch any metal objects in your car. Your car is only considered a safe place if you drive a hard-topped vehicle - those of you with soft-topped convertible cars will have to get out of the car and find a safer place. 


So here's what you have to do during rainy season with lightening:
If you are driving, pull over  to the side of the road, turn on your car's hazard lights, turn off the engine and sit still in your car with your hands on your lap. If there are other passengers including children in the car, tell them to do the same. Don't try to get out of the car. Avoid touching anything metal within the car and wait for the rain to stop. You also should not to touch the radio or talk on a cell phone, especially if it is connected to your vehicle. If lightening strikes your car and the electrical current has passed through the vehicle and entered into the ground, it is technically safe to exit the vehicle.  Please note that there would be no difference between a typical electric car and a petrol or diesel car when struck by lightning because the car body is made from conductive metal (steel or aluminum). However I would not like to be in a fiberglass car or convertible when struck by lightning. I don’t know if there are any recorded deaths of people in fiberglass or convertible cars when struck by lightning, but I am sure it could happen. 


Normally the possible outcomes of lightning are: 

 - Low or medium energy strike - Almost nothing happens to the car -lightning goes through the body and frame of the car, and it might leave a minor scorch mark where it entered.

 - High energy strike - A little more damage with large scorch marks, with possible melted metal or even hole in the body or frame, burnt fuses, might damage the ignition system, can cause a fire too.

Always remember that If you can't find more substantial shelter in a sturdy building, a metal-topped vehicle can keep you safe in the event of a lightning strike provided you avoid touching anything metal within the car. If the car is all metal (meaning, not a convertible) and if all of the cars windows are rolled up, lightning usually flows over the outer surface of the car on the way to ground (and, FYI, rubber tires have NOTHING to do with this process, in spite of the old saying!). For this reason, if one cannot get into a fully enclosed building (NOT a porch, or other open structure, which provide no protection at all) an all-metal car can serve as an expedient shelter.
However, the best shelter is a substantial building with all doors and windows closed. 

 Hope this article was helpful to you.  Be well, and play safe out there!

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