Will People Inside a Car Get Injured If the Car Is Struck by Lightning?
4 Answers
People inside a car will not get injured if the car is struck by lightning. During thunderstorms, car owners should pay attention to the following aspects: 1. Close all windows: When encountering thunderstorms, moving vehicles should close all windows to form a sealed enclosure. A closed vehicle acts as a hollow and enclosed conductor. If struck by lightning, the current will travel through the car's surface to the ground, and the occupants inside will not be affected. This is because, according to the principle of electrostatic shielding in physics, the electric field and potential inside a hollow enclosed conductor are zero. 2. Turn off electronic devices: Turn off the radio, GPS, car phone, and other onboard electronic devices, and retract their antennas. Since antennas are conductors with high charge density at their tips, they are more likely to attract lightning.
Once I was driving through a thunderstorm area when my car got struck by lightning, which scared me to the point of trembling. But miraculously, I wasn’t injured at all, though the car fell to the ground and emitted some smoke. Later, when I asked the repair shop, I learned that the car’s metal body acts like a big cage, directing the lightning current into the ground and protecting the people inside. This is called the Faraday effect, specifically designed for lightning protection. The key is to avoid opening the car door or touching metal objects to prevent current conduction. The tires may burst, and the electronic systems could get fried, but the risk to human life is extremely low. Every time it rains, I remind myself to stay in the car and not move around—safety first. Remember to check if your vehicle’s lightning protection design is intact.
When lightning strikes a car, the metal shell acts as a conductor, channeling the electrical energy to the ground, so people inside are usually unharmed. I once personally experienced driving through a storm when lightning hit the roof of my car—it caused a strong vibration, but I remained completely safe. Don’t worry about physical contact as long as you avoid touching the windows or door handles. The car itself is more likely to sustain damage, such as blown tires or malfunctioning dashboards, but this isn’t life-threatening. If you encounter this situation while driving, it’s advisable to slow down, pull over, and close the windows. From my safe driving experience, staying inside the car during a thunderstorm is much safer than being outdoors.
From my personal perspective, being struck by lightning has minimal impact on passengers inside a car. The metal body acts like a protective shell that isolates the electric current. I once encountered a close lightning strike while driving on the highway during a thunderstorm—I stayed seated and remained completely unharmed. The tires might get damaged by the electrical surge, but people stay safe. The key is to avoid exiting the vehicle or opening windows to prevent conductivity. Some electronic devices like the air conditioning are prone to malfunction and should be checked and replaced during repairs. I often advise family and friends to pull over and wait out storms to ensure safety.
