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Henrik, who lives in Vilnius, could answer these questions. Last year, accompanied by a column of motorcycles in a Volvo car in the Jonava district, Henrik went to hell. Lightning struck both a group of motorcyclists and a car. Fortunately, the motorcyclists were not taken seriously. However, in 2003 Volvo is irreparably damaged, the antenna is odorless. The smell in the car vanished immediately: the electrical installation burned out.
Asm. Album Photo / H. Bean Roof Volvo After Lightning
Seemed to drive in a safe area
“As we approached Jonava, we saw storm clouds gathering on the edges and lightning. But it seemed to us that we were driving in a safe area, there were no thunderstorms overhead, “Henrik said.
At that time, a column of motorcycles was driving ahead. Another car crashed behind her. And Henry’s Volvo was already behind him. Suddenly, Henry heard a bang over his head: no lightning, only sparks from the ceiling and a cloud of smoke rising. The wires in the car began to glow, probably many people know the smell of burned insulation and hot metal.
All of the car’s systems were turned off, only the windshield wipers were left and the left turn was “stuck” (light was on).
Henry recalls that lightning struck the bow:
“The discharge was directed at the last three motorcyclists in the column and directly to the roof of my car. The driver of the car driving between us was not injured, but he probably saw an impressive sight in the mirror. We drove three in the car, luckily we were all healthy. “
ALSO READ: Death from the sky, or lightning can strike a car
It goes without saying that Volvo, which has experienced lightning strikes, is no longer there and had to be removed.
Is the car a safe hiding place?
Every year in Lithuania, lightning strikes at least some people. While most of them survive, they can feel greater or lesser consequences for the rest of their lives.
According to doctors, although 60 to 90 percent. In the cases that people experience after encountering lightning, the consequences can last a lifetime. The touch of lightning is more like a spark, as if we were touching an electric handle with a door handle or synthetic fabric. Interestingly, damage to the eyes and ears is caused first, because it is through these openings that an electric shock enters our body. This is due to the enormous pressure that an electric shock generates in our body. As a result, the retina is damaged, even after a time of cataract development, the person becomes irreversibly deaf.
What if the car is a safe place to hide from lightning. After all, does it seem like rubber wheels should save me from disaster?
Weather forecaster Tadas Kantauto is not surprised by the frequent lightning questions, but neither he nor his colleagues were able to answer the question “is it safe to drive a car in lightning?”
“It just caught our eye then. As an example, a lightning car is a safer place than being outdoors or being under a tall tree. However, the car has a lot of metal parts, actually it is not grounded. Therefore, when lightning strikes a car, there is no guarantee that the electric charge will leak in such a way that the person in the car does not feel any effect, “explains T. Kantautas, a synoptic of the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service.
How to be careful with lightning if you are in a car
When lightning strikes, do not touch the metal parts of the car, not even inside, in the cabin, because it is not clear how you will choose the lightning: the energy has yet to drain somewhere. Today, cars have a lot of electronic components, so when lightning strikes them, there can be a variety of problems, from the simplest to the most serious.
Representatives from the Department of Fire Protection and Rescue (PAGD) advise stopping on the sidewalk and not driving during a thunderstorm. Sitting in the car is quite safe. And if you can’t stop, at least connect the antenna and, with the trash, don’t touch any metal parts. It goes without saying that it is not advisable to use any electrical appliance, including a radio.
By the way, you shouldn’t use a mobile phone either. There have been many instances of lightning strikes on smart homeowners during a conversation. A similar case has been reported in Poland.
Scientists explain that the lightning strike travels in a circle around the exterior of the car, creating a Faraday effect and protecting the people inside.
It is true that such safety “guarantees” do not apply to convertible fiberglass automobiles. Or just for cars with open windows.
“It is very difficult to answer whether it is safe to use lightning in a car because there are so many small things that many things can depend on.” However, when lightning strikes, it is recommended to stop and wait for the storm to pass, “says meteorologist T. Kantautas.
And what is the probability that lightning will strike a car or motorcycle? This cannot be calculated because lightning is more of a random event.
“No one can calculate where it will hit and what the consequences will be.” It is true that some countries or scientists publish statistics. For example, the probability of being struck by lightning is 1 in 300,000.
However, this probability has been calculated for a human, not for a car or motorcycle, as it focuses on human exposure. Of course, research can indicate the environment in which the impact occurred on a person, but that data, whether a person was struck by lightning in a car or while riding a motorcycle or standing under a tree, is very little, “explained meteorologist T. Kantautas.
Lightning strikes also apply to automobiles.
There are even a few stories in the media when the vehicles were struck by lightning in Lithuania.
2010 Lightning struck the roof of a Peugeot 307 on the Klaipeda – Palanga road, near Nemirseta. By then, the storm was over, even the asphalt was dry in places. Suddenly, the driver heard a huge explosion and a blow to the roof. It even turned out for Palangiškis that the car jumped off the road. The engine did not shut down, but the computer started displaying errors and warnings. Some appliances did not work later.
Another case: 2012 In July, on the Kaunas – Klaipėda highway, a lightning strike targeted the car’s antenna. All that was left of him were the bulbs, the electricity in the car was gone. Fortunately, the passengers paid only in fear.
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