Are you safe in a car during a lightning storm?

Answer 1

As surprising as it may seem but you would actually be safe inside a car if you were caught in a lighting storm.

In the open, humans can be electrocuted in a lighting storm as humans can conduct electricity. However, if you compare the conductivity of a metal car and a human body then a car would be a better conductor of electricity.

You may ask "but would you be electrocuted as well if you were in a car whilst it was electrocuted" The answer to that is simply no. To explain we must understand how electricity is transferred when it is released in a lighting storm. When electricity is released inside a thunder cloud, all electricity finds the quickest route to ground. So if a lighting bolt struck a human body and a car simultaneously than the lighting would hit the ground quicker if it hit the car as it is a better conductor of electricity of a car. Also, in a car, you are sat on a leather seat with other non metal objects and they act like insulating materials, which don't conduct electricity.

To sum it up simply, you can die if you were directly struck by lighting but a car to some degree would stay intake if that was struck by lighting. If you were sat inside a car and it was struck by lighting, the lighting would go the the tallest part of the car, which it could be the Ariel, then the electricity itself would travel around the metal car frame to the brakes, where it's in contact with the tyre and that it contacted to the ground. Reason that you wont be conducted is due to a few reasons but the main one is that a human body isn't as good as at conducting electricity compare to a huge metal car.

This explains in some videos and cases where people inside a car gets hit by lightning but they don't get harmed what do ever with the exception of damages like shattered glass, and the car tyres exploded. This is also why people are advised that if they were in a car and was caught for some reason in a lighting storm, then you should stay in the car instead of going outside the car.

Answer 2

Yes