Can Lightning Kill You In A Car? Rules To Follow To Stay Safe

You pull up to your driveway just as you hear it, an overwhelmingly loud clap of thunder. The lightning in the distance is not that far away either.

You want to quickly rush in before the rain starts, but the proximity of the lightning has you spooked. Is the safest place in your car or can the lightning kill you here?

Lightning can kill you in a car if you’re in a convertible and have the top down. If your car has a metal roof over your head and you sit still without touching anything in the vehicle, then you shouldn’t have to worry about being struck by lightning.

In this article, we’ll discuss if you can be electrocuted in your car.

We’ll also talk about whether you should wait out a lightning storm in your vehicle or if your house is actually the safer place to be, as well as what would happen if your car did get struck by lightning.

By the time you’re done reading, you’ll have the information you need to stay safe during thunderstorms.

Can You Be Electrocuted In A Car?

As you’re sitting in your car, the radio announces a severe thunderstorm watch. A worrying thought passes through your mind. Can you be electrocuted in here?

After all, you were always taught that metal conducts electricity.

Since you know that lightning follows the path of least resistance, wouldn’t that mean your car is like a giant beacon waiting for a lightning strike to hit?

Well, let’s clear up a common misconception.

According to Weather.gov, metal is not an attractant for lightning. In other words, just because you’re in a metal vehicle doesn’t mean that the lightning is immediately going to strike it.

That being said, the presence of metal does act as a sort of lightning rod. If you read our last post about showering during a thunderstorm, you are well aware of this.

Lightning can penetrate your home and travel through electrical appliances, TV cables, electrical wiring, metal plumbing or water pipes.

Concrete walls and floors aren’t safe to touch or lie on during a lightning storm, either.

If you wash your hands or try to take a shower during a thunderstorm, you can get electrocuted, too. So could the same happen in your car?

Yes, especially if you turn on the car’s ignition. Since metal is a guide for electricity, if lightning does strike your car, it would pass through the steel frame.

Should your car be running, the lightning would continue to travel through the internal components, especially the electrical ones, and shock you.

You might have heard that your car’s rubber tires can protect you by creating an insulation layer between you and the ground, but that’s another one of the lightning myths that’s not true either.

Is It Safe To Stay In The Car During A Lightning Storm?

Statistics from Weather.gov point out that lightning strikes in the United States about 25 million times a year!

When we hear about lightning deaths, they always seem to involve people who are taking part in outdoor activities, like hiking or being out on a golf course.

It is for this reason that the CDC, in its Lightning Safety Tips guide, says to “seek shelter immediately even if caught out in the open.”

So, doesn’t it seem like a good idea to stay in your car during a storm?

But you read that you can be electrocuted if you sit in your car, so now you’re freaking out even more.

Maybe you should just make a run for it and try to get inside. If you move quickly, then a bolt of lightning won’t even have a chance to strike you, right?

So you would think!

Except that lightning strikes happen at around 270,000 miles per hour, which is faster than you can imagine.

No locomotive on this planet can travel at speeds comparable to the pace at which a lightning bolt moves, so you’re better off staying in the car.

Don’t think you’re safe outside of the vehicle after you hear the last rumble of thunder, either. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), you should, “Stay in safe shelter at least 30 minutes after you hear the last sound of thunder.“

Okay, so the bottom line is that you will not be electrocuted while in your car as long as you don’t turn the vehicle on and if you take some other basic precautions.

Let’s talk about what to do now.

Avoid Touching Metal Parts

Obviously, you don’t want to touch your car’s metal doors or the metal frame.

Even the components of your vehicle that are covered in plastic, rubber, or leather might be metal underneath, though, so watch what you touch.

That includes your steering wheel, gear shifters, door handles, car dashboard, and the ignition. In fact, to be on the ultra-safe side, just don’t touch anything in your car!

Watch Where You Lean

Sit upright in the vehicle while you wait for the storm to pass.

If you lean on the doors and lightning strikes, you will feel it (we’ll talk very shortly about what that’s like). Remind any fellow passengers in the car to do the same.

Although your car seat has metal parts, the seat is still the safest part of the vehicle. Just sit and wait.

There’s no need to unbuckle, hop in the back, and duck and cover. The metal roof over your head will protect you from direct lightning impacts if you’re following the rules we’ve outlined.

If you want to call someone and let them know of the predicament you’re in, you can safely use your cell phone during a lightning storm.

Since they are cordless phones, an electric current cannot pulse through it.

However, avoid charging your smartphone in your car until the storm has ended.

What Happens When You Get Struck By Lightning In A Car?

Although it’s your greatest fear, you have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. If you get struck by lightning, what will happen?

Well, first of all, we have to say that this is not very likely.

Throughout your life, your risk of lightning strikes is 1 in 15,300 per data from the National Weather Service. In a year, the risk is even lower, 1 in 1,222,000.

If you do become a lightning victim, however, it could happen in one of four ways: conduction, ground current, side flash, or a direct strike. Let’s differentiate between these types of lightning strikes:

Conduction: A conduction injury is one that’s caused by using a metal object in which lightning has coursed through, which can include any components of your car.
Ground current: If you’re outdoors and a ground current passes over the area, then the low-traveling lightning will course through you, specifically your cardiovascular and/or nervous system.
Side flash: Even if lightning doesn’t strike you directly, its energy can transfer to you or the items around you.
Direct strike: As the name suggests, a direct strike is when lightning does hit you.

Here are some of the injuries you can suffer from the above types of lightning strikes.

Burns

Any one of several burns can occur if you’re struck by lightning. The most infamous is the Lichtenburg figure burn, which leaves tree-like burn marks across the affected part(s) of the body.

The other types of burns include thermal burns, punctate burns, and flash or linear burns, says this 2017 publication of Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine.

Thermal burns are common, as if you’ve ever burned yourself before, this is the type of injury you suffered. Depending on how many layers of skin are penetrated, thermal burns can be mild or more severe.
Punctate burns leave circle-shaped marks in the affected area and are considered non-serious in many instances.
Flash burns (aka linear burns) are caused by thermal radiation, high voltages, or bright light flashes such as lightning.

Blunt Injuries

Remember, lightning travels at speeds of 270,000 MPH.

Whether it’s a direct strike or a side flash, the force of the impact can throw your body from the site of the lightning strike. This can result in blunt injuries.

Respiratory Arrest

If you’re in respiratory arrest, you might struggle to breathe and experience symptoms such as wheezing, sweating, and grunting.

When the human body is being deprived of oxygen, being in respiratory arrest becomes a life-threatening condition. Cardiac arrest and brain damage can follow without quick medical attention.

Heart Asystole

Heart asystole (“a-sis-toe-lee”) refers to when your heart’s non-perfusing ventricular rhythms begin slowing down.

A heart arrythmia (irregular heartbeat) can follow, which prevents the lower chambers from pumping blood properly and impacts the rest of the heart. Often, heart asystole can be deadly.

Memory Loss

Although it doesn’t happen with every lightning strike, some victims have reported losing their memories. Since these effects can be prolonged, it’s unclear how long it would take to recover your memories or if it would ever happen.

Ruptured Eardrum

Based on your proximity to the strike, your tympanic membrane in the ear can rupture, which leads to conductive hearing loss.

This report from the American Journal of Neuroradiology from 2007 states that over half of those struck by lightning will have an ear rupture.

Vision Loss

Lightning isn’t like staring at the sun in that vision loss will necessarily happen, but a close strike can rob you of your sight.

That was the case for a woman who got struck by lightning in a car, as mentioned in this Live Science article from 2015.

Seizures

As the electrical charge from lightning travels through your body upon being struck, the resulting nervous system damage can lead to seizures.

Whether these seizures would be a one-time event or an ongoing medical issue is unknown.

How Do You Know If Your Car Is Struck By Lightning?

What if you think your car was struck by lightning, but you’re just not sure? Here are some can’t-miss signs that your vehicle was wrecked by a lightning storm.

Melted Antenna

An antenna is but a small piece of metal, so it shouldn’t surprise you that in a particularly close lightning strike, the antenna can bend, snap, or even melt right off your car.

Flat Tire(s)

In a ground current especially, the damage might be centralized underneath your vehicle.

If your car has a few flat tires and you didn’t drive over anything sharp, you can assume that lightning punctured the tires.

Broken Rear Windshield

If your car was really that close to a lightning strike, then your rear windshield will likely bear the brunt of the damage.

It could be shattered from the lightning’s shock wave or in otherwise rough shape.

Fried Electrical System

Try turning your car on. Does it not want to start? Or maybe your car works but other electrical components no longer do.

This indicates that lightning went through your car’s electrical system and fried most if not all the parts.

Sparks

This is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, but if you happen to catch the sparks coming from your vehicle, you’ll undeniably know that yes, your car was hit by lightning.

Final Thoughts

Lightning can kill you in a car if you’re careless. While you can safely take refuge in your vehicle during a lightning storm, be sure to keep your hands off all metal parts.

Although lightning strikes remain rare, you should still do all you can to safeguard yourself from their damaging effects. After all, some lightning strike injuries are fatal!