Will Rubber Tires Protect You From Lightning

Rubber does not protect you from lightning.

Will rubber tires protect you from lightning.

Bolts from the blue can strike 10 15 miles from the thunderstorm. Most people believe the rubber tires on a car prevent lightning strikes. Myth 7 if you touch a lightning victim you ll be electrocuted. However the steel frame of a hard topped vehicle provides increased protection if you are not touching metal.

Here s where your grandmother is right though your car is a fairly safe place to be in a thunderstorm but for a different reason entirely. Lightning often strikes more than three miles from the center of the thunderstorm far outside the rain or thunderstorm cloud. So the rubber tires on your car do not protect you from lightning they simply ground your vehicle so that the electricity has a place to exit. Rubber soled shoes and rubber tires provide no protection from lightning.

Myth 8 wearing metal on your body attracts lightning. If you check out the graphic below you will notice how the current exits to the ground through the tires. Myth 5 a car s rubber tires will protect you from lightning. The truth is rubber tires don t prevent lightning strikes in the least bit.

Myth 4 if you don t see rain or clouds you re safe. Myth 6 if you re outside in a storm lie flat on the ground.