Posted 2009-06-03 8:45 PM (#105933) Subject: Driving with lightning.
Member
Posts: 27
Location: Kentucky
First time for me to drive with lightning going all around. I've never been worried so much in just my truck, but the trailer attached I was a little concerned. What has been the general rule when pulling a trailer in a lightning storm?
Posted 2009-06-03 9:46 PM (#105934 - in reply to #105933) Subject: RE: Driving with lightning.
Expert
Posts: 2957
Location: North Carolina
Lightning is not a problem for you in a truck or horses in a trailer. The vehicle acts as a Faraday cage. (Google it) The real problem is the accompanying rain, wind and poor visibility... Plus the idiot drivers around you.
Posted 2009-06-04 7:23 AM (#105944 - in reply to #105933) Subject: RE: Driving with lightning.
Member
Posts: 27
Location: Kentucky
So this is what I undertstand from my Google search. Lightning can hit the trailer but won't hurt the contents? Or is that as long as the horses tail or nose is not touching the walls?
Posted 2009-06-04 8:40 AM (#105947 - in reply to #105933) Subject: RE: Driving with lightning.
Veteran
Posts: 197
Location: MT
Is this a serious question or are you joking? Your pickup and trailer have rubber tires so you could get struck a thousand times its never going to hurt you the contents of the trailer. Because rubber doesn't conduct electricity. Do people have no common sense anymore or just not pay attention in school.
Posted 2009-06-04 9:03 AM (#105950 - in reply to #105933) Subject: RE: Driving with lightning.
Expert
Posts: 5870
Location: western PA
My neighbor's two year old Lincoln was struck by lightening while it was parked in his yard. It fried the main computer, and damaged several other electronic components. The rear quarter panel where it was struck, was slightly blistered.
Aircraft are commonly struck by lightening, which causes both physical and electrical damages.
As long as you are wholly contained inside the vehicle, there is little chance of personal harm. This would be true of the occupants of a trailer as well. Lightening is looking for a path of least resistance, a conductor. When it is contained in the shell around you, and not going through you, you have some protection. You are more safe inside the vehicle waiting for the storm to pass, than exiting and running for shelter elsewhere.
Posted 2009-06-04 9:34 AM (#105953 - in reply to #105950) Subject: RE: Driving with lightning.
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Posts: 197
Location: MT
Originally written by gard on 2009-06-04 9:03 AM
Aircraft are commonly struck by lightening, which causes both physical and electrical damages.
Gard
What does this have to do with anything, unless your pickup can fly with your trailer. This website states that the probability is 1:700,000 for a human to get struck. Now take into factor pickup trailer is bigger but your driving the odd's are so small its not funny.
Posted 2009-06-04 9:41 AM (#105954 - in reply to #105953) Subject: RE: Driving with lightning.
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Posts: 5870
Location: western PA
Originally written by brew26 on 2009-06-04 9:34 AM
Originally written by gard on 2009-06-04 9:03 AM
Aircraft are commonly struck by lightening, which causes both physical and electrical damages.
Gard
What does this have to do with anything, unless your pickup can fly with your trailer.
It has to do with the fact that the shell around you, regardless of where you are, can be struck with an electrical charge and the occupants usually won't be injured.
Posted 2009-06-04 9:50 AM (#105955 - in reply to #105933) Subject: RE: Driving with lightning.
Elite Veteran
Posts: 824
Location: Kansas
Donna, not everyone is as contentious as Brew seems to be. What is common sense to someone with experience may not be at all obvious to others. Please feel free to come to the board with questions. We may not agree on the answers but this is a good place to get information.
Posted 2009-06-04 9:50 AM (#105956 - in reply to #105947) Subject: RE: Driving with lightning.
Location: Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain...
Originally written by brew26 on 2009-06-04 8:40 AM
Is this a serious question or are you joking? Your pickup and trailer have rubber tires so you could get struck a thousand times its never going to hurt you the contents of the trailer. Because rubber doesn't conduct electricity. Do people have no common sense anymore or just not pay attention in school.
Rubber tires aren't why you're safe in a car during lightning. You're safe in the car because of hosspullers answer. The vehicle acts like a Faraday cage and the electrical travels around the surface before going to ground. Tires will actually conduct electricity when a car is hit by lightning. Here is some reading about thunderstorms and lightning. Lots of myths that have been believed like the tire one. Living all my life in an area where thunderstorms, lightning, and tornadoes are common, you tend to learn what is true and what is not.
Posted 2009-06-04 11:19 AM (#105963 - in reply to #105933) Subject: RE: Driving with lightning.
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Posts: 197
Location: MT
My point is that the chances of you ever getting struck by lighting while moving 70-75mph (the speed limit in my state) is so small that you probably have better chance of winning the lottery. I live where we also get a lot of thunder storms, I've never heard of anybody getting struck my it while moving. The plain comment had to do with the probability of plain 32,000 feet in air and pickup trailer on the ground. And since I work with number and probability all day thought we should compare apple to apples.
Posted 2009-06-04 11:45 AM (#105965 - in reply to #105933) Subject: RE: Driving with lightning.
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 402
Location: Valentine, NE
I have a good friend that was struck while farming in a JD tractor. Bolt hit top of cab, went thru the iron around him, down the frame, thru the tires into the ground. Blew off the top of the fiberglass cab, fried most all the electrical wires, blew holes in the inside duals of the tractor where the bolt exited to the ground. It took a $80k tractor and did about $50k of damage. Only damage to him was being showered in shrapnel from the radio exploding. The tractor did stop running immediately when hit. Interesting that, even that he did have a disc in the ground,the bolt went thru the tires.
Had another friend not so lucky. A coworker of my brother's was killed when hit driving a tractor with no cab. The bolt hit him directly.
Posted 2009-06-04 3:11 PM (#105969 - in reply to #105933) Subject: RE: Driving with lightning.
Member
Posts: 27
Location: Kentucky
Thanks for your help with my question. I read alot about Faraday Cages, and how my horse and I will "usually or probably" be safe and the "Odds" are against anything happening.
Makes you wonder why people still play the lottery......
the following web site advises that while in our car/Faraday cage, pull over and remove hands from anything that could carry the charge.
Posted 2009-06-04 3:19 PM (#105970 - in reply to #105947) Subject: RE: Driving with lightning.
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Posts: 235
Location: Bucksport, Maine
Originally written by brew26 on 2009-06-04 8:40 AM
Is this a serious question or are you joking? Your pickup and trailer have rubber tires so you could get struck a thousand times its never going to hurt you the contents of the trailer. Because rubber doesn't conduct electricity. Do people have no common sense anymore or just not pay attention in school.
This response, and especially the attitude that goes with it, made me laugh out loud... because Brew is WRONG about why you're safe in a car! Guess he/she should have paid more attention in school.
Posted 2009-06-04 3:53 PM (#105974 - in reply to #105933) Subject: RE: Driving with lightning.
Expert
Posts: 5870
Location: western PA
I've known four people who have died as a result of lightening strikes; two were good friends. My wife and I were exiting a car that was struck by lightening. She was just getting out of the passenger seat with an open door, and was blown almost four feet from the car. I was holding the trunk lid open and had just reached inside to get a bag. I was rendered unconscious for almost ten minutes. We both took several weeks of recovery time for basic abilities and far longer to resume normal activities.
This website states that the probability is 1:700,000 for a human to get struck. odd's are so small its not funny.
I don't consider my experiences particularly amusing, and find those statistics quite misleading.
I've never heard of anybody getting struck my it while moving.
Tell that to one of my deceased friends.
And since I work with number and probability all day thought we should compare apple to apples.
We are. Electricity moves at the speed of light, 186000 miles per second. Commercial aircraft fly at about 550 miles per hour, vehicles travel at 70 miles per hour, people and animals move slowly. Who's going to win that race?
Posted 2009-06-04 6:34 PM (#105981 - in reply to #105963) Subject: RE: Driving with lightning.
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Posts: 3853
Location: Vermont
Originally written by brew26 on 2009-06-04 12:19 PM
My point is that the chances of you ever getting struck by lighting while moving 70-75mph (the speed limit in my state) is so small that you probably have better chance of winning the lottery. I live where we also get a lot of thunder storms, I've never heard of anybody getting struck my it while moving. The plain comment had to do with the probability of plain 32,000 feet in air and pickup trailer on the ground. And since I work with number and probability all day thought we should compare apple to apples.
Posted 2009-06-04 6:42 PM (#105982 - in reply to #105933) Subject: RE: Driving with lightning.
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Posts: 1723
Location: michigan
Its amazing how many problems we can worry about. We can just sit there and create them. There is always a possiblity of something happening at any time. An airliner can crash on you,a tree can fall,a tire can blow out...its endless. Don't worry-be happy!
Posted 2009-06-04 6:53 PM (#105983 - in reply to #105933) Subject: RE: Driving with lightning.
Regular
Posts: 80
Location: Tracy, CA
While watching the news this morning the news caster said 2 women were killed down by Los Angles California by lighting. One was walking and was hit and the other was in her car, lighting struck a tree and the tree fell on the car killing the lady inside. We had one hell of a lighting and thunder show last night, also had a 1/4'' hail. More expected tonight.
Posted 2009-06-05 12:44 PM (#106003 - in reply to #105933) Subject: RE: Driving with lightning.
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Posts: 1205
Location: Arkansas
I was parked with an empty trailer and a running 454 dually, waiting for a storm to pass to load a mare with foal at side at a breeding farm in KY, lightning hit the truck, which quit running. I had two teenagers with me .........we sat there a bit shaken, then I told them not to touch anything, til I had. No ill effects to us, and the truck did start and run......to the motel, where we waited til morning to pick up the TB's to haul to Omaha. Quite an experience. Our sincere sympathies to anyone who has been injured by or lost someone to lightning.