2007-07-25 17:10:51 · 11 answers · asked by Heavy Metal 3 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Safety
You are pretty safe from being fried. The metal body of the car will provide the lightning a path with less resistance than you.
Thats not to say it can't happen though.
EDIT: The guy above me that says lightning wont strike a car is wrong. Yes the car is not grounded to the earth, but remember the clouds where the lightning came from isn't grounded either.
Electricity follows the path of least resistance. If there is nothing around the car, lightning above the car and ground below the car... guess what! The car is going to get struck. The Electricity will jump to the roof of the car, travel through the metal body panels to the frame and then jump from the frame to the ground.
It is the metal shell (a path of less resistance) that keeps you safe inside a car.
2007-07-25 17:17:32 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
Sure, anything's possible. But I think you are pretty safe or we'd sure hear a lot more about it happening!
Cars can be hit, it's true, but it's very unlikely. Most of the time there are far better grounded objects for the lighting to strike that a car, like a tree or a light pole. But don't let the argument that because the car has rubber tires it cannot be hit. If the lighting can make it from the sky to an object on the ground, it can certainly go from the metal frame of your car to the ground. (I know some will say it goes from the ground up, but the pricipal still holds.)
On the remote chance that it does happen, the occupants are generally still safe if they don't panic or lose control, because the metal structure of the car itself acts somewhat like a "Faraday cage" which is what 'filmphysicsandcars' was talking about (the metal of the car conducting the electricity safely around the occupants.) Here are a couple of news articles I found...
http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2007/06/22/lawmans_car_hit_by_lightning/
http://www.nbc6.net/news/4936711/detail.html
I even found some videos...
http://www.ifilm.com/video/2684184?cmpnid=753&pt=sr&refsite=7063
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/cars/lightning-strikes-car-with-man-in-it-243268.php
(That second video is a trip! I see 'james s' gave a different link to the the same good video. It's also the source for some of my information above.)
I once heard a story about a DeLorean that was hit and it went through time... hmmm....
Be Safe, God Bless.
2007-07-26 10:44:00 · answer #2 · answered by todvango 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Short answer: Most of the time you'll be okay.
Longer answer:
Yes, it can kill you, but isnt there a chance for really anything to kill you. Top Gear (automotive tv show) did a special on it. One of the presenters sat inside a car while it was stuck by lightning (of course it was "man made", the lightning, but it was to the same specs that lightning would be.)
The reason you'll be ok, is that the lightning will want to follow the path of least resistance, which, in this case, will be the body of the car into the ground.
Even then, the probability being hit by lightning is relitively small.
2007-07-28 02:05:40 · answer #3 · answered by colormebrown 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was told the safest place to be in a storm is your car. The rubber on the tires keeps the car from being hit from the ground up! If a live wire is on your car sparking and jumping, stay away from the metal in the car. Stay still at that point till help arrives.
2007-07-26 09:56:53 · answer #4 · answered by kolowski4 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sure, if you're doubly unlucky enough to be holding onto some part of the metal, after being unlucky enough to be hit by lightning in the first place. By the bye, it's "lightning", not "lightnig", and "you're", not "your" (spelling counts!), Thanks for the two points! Good luck!
2007-07-26 00:19:17 · answer #5 · answered by Kiffin # 1 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
think about it.... if lightnig is strong enough to jump across miles of air space to get to your car faster than the spped of sound, how could it not go through your car?
2007-07-26 00:46:50 · answer #6 · answered by JCBahr 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Check out this website, the actually show a demo of lightning striking a car with someone in it. It's a pretty wild video!!! http://www.uberreview.com/2007/03/what-happens-when-lightning-strikes-your-car.htm
2007-07-26 00:30:04 · answer #7 · answered by james s 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
the car wont get hit lightning comes up from the ground and the car is insulated from ground.
unless you got parts of your exhaust falling off then well your screwed
2007-07-26 00:17:10 · answer #8 · answered by unaturalyaspirated 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Inside a car is the safest place you could be.
2007-07-26 00:44:47 · answer #9 · answered by Scott H 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Is It a convertable? If you have the roof down or the sunroof open and your struck then your as good as fried chicken. if not then your should live as long as your not at a gas Station
2007-07-26 00:17:56 · answer #10 · answered by Yuki Ookami 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋