Will Rubber Tires Protect You From Lightning

Myth 7 if you touch a lightning victim you ll be electrocuted.

Will rubber tires protect you from lightning. Lightning often strikes more than three miles from the center of the thunderstorm far outside the rain or thunderstorm cloud. Rubber tires on a car protect you from lightning by insulating you from the ground. Myth 6 if you re outside in a storm lie flat on the ground. So the rubber tires on your car do not protect you from lightning they simply ground your vehicle so that the electricity has a place to exit.

Myth 8 wearing metal on your body attracts lightning. If you check out the graphic below you will notice how the current exits to the ground through the tires. Ironically it s not the rubber tires insulating the car but rather the conductive metal framing which protects you by conducting the electricity around the vehicle and its occupants. Bolts from the blue can strike 10 15 miles from the thunderstorm.

Myth 4 if you don t see rain or clouds you re safe. Rubber soled shoes and rubber tires provide no protection from lightning. However the steel frame of a hard topped vehicle provides increased protection if you are not touching metal. Here s where your grandmother is right though your car is a fairly safe place to be in a thunderstorm but for a different reason entirely.

The truth is rubber tires don t prevent lightning strikes in the least bit. Rubber does not protect you from lightning.