When lightning strikes during a storm, a common concern is whether the enclosed space of a car offers protection. Most hard-topped, metal-bodied cars do provide significant safety for occupants during a lightning strike. This protection stems from the vehicle’s design, which channels the electrical current in a way that bypasses the interior. While the car itself may sustain damage, the people inside are generally shielded from the immense electrical discharge.
How Cars Provide Protection
The primary reason a metal-bodied car offers protection from lightning is the Faraday Cage effect. A Faraday cage is a conductive enclosure that shields its interior from electrical fields. When lightning strikes a car, the charge travels along the outer metal shell, flowing around occupants and safely to the ground. This redirects the high voltage, preventing it from entering the passenger compartment.
The protection comes from the metal structure, not the vehicle’s rubber tires. Lightning bolts possess millions of volts and thousands of amps, an electrical force too powerful for rubber to insulate against. Many tires also contain steel belts, which are conductive and would not prevent the current from passing through.
Staying Safe Inside Your Vehicle
If you find yourself in a car during a lightning storm, certain actions can enhance your safety. It is advisable to pull over to the side of the road, turn off the engine, and activate your hazard lights. Keeping all windows and doors completely closed is important to maintain the integrity of the vehicle’s protective shell.
While inside, avoid touching any metal components or objects connected to the car’s exterior. This includes door handles, the steering wheel, gear shifts, radio dials, or charging devices. Placing your hands in your lap helps ensure you are not in contact with conductive parts. Remain inside the vehicle until the storm has completely passed and thunder is no longer heard.
Vehicles That Offer Less Protection
Not all vehicles provide the same level of safety from lightning strikes. Vehicles that lack a complete metal enclosure do not benefit from the Faraday Cage effect. Convertibles, even with their soft tops up, offer minimal protection because the fabric does not conduct electricity like metal.
Motorcycles, bicycles, golf carts, and other open-air vehicles also provide no protection from lightning. Golf carts, often having metal components but an open design, can attract lightning strikes while offering no enclosed conductive path to divert the electricity. Similarly, vehicles with fiberglass bodies, being non-conductive, do not create a protective Faraday cage.
Understanding the “Grounded” Concept
The common belief that cars are “grounded” by their rubber tires during a lightning strike is inaccurate. A car is not electrically grounded in the traditional sense, as its tires are insulators.
Once the lightning strikes the metal body, the electrical discharge simply seeks the path of least resistance to the earth. It can arc from the lowest metal parts of the vehicle, through or over the tires, and then to the ground. This process ensures the electrical energy bypasses the passenger cabin, keeping occupants safe.