What if a Power Line Falls on Your Car?

Shows you what to do if a power line falls across your car due to a storm or accident.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Walton
• Electric
• Membership
• Corporation
• EMC
• WEMC
• car
• power
• line
• safety
• downed

[geon106]

i always thought you couldn't touch the metal shell of the car, regardless of whether your touching the ground or not.

[emctv]

As long as you stay in the car and don't touch the ground, you can touch the car-it's similar to a bird on a wire. You do not want to complete the path to ground by touching the car and ground at the same time.

[tuts333]

I still don't understand, what is the point of keeping your legs together while hoping?

[LilGreenFiero]

The voltage field across the ground increases with distance. This occurs because of the resistance of the ground.

If you took a large step, the voltage difference between your feet will be larger than if you kept your feet together. As it becomes very large the soles of your shoes begin to conduct, and that's why you would feel a tingling.

If you kept your feet together, the voltage difference is zero (soles are wet & touching) or low enough not to begin conduction through the soles.

[sh4k3r]

@LilGreenFiero nearly zero, u always got a little difference... but anyway your absolutly right

[subans]

@jpgbrookes Yes.

[MrConsarnit]

If the wire is touching the earth it can create a ground gradient which is basically the dirt itself becoming energized with electricity. The closer you are to where the wire is touching the higher potential voltage. Electricity bleeds off the farther you gte from the fault so if your feet are apart and one leg is closer than the other you could have a difference in potential voltage between your legs which could result in electrocution.

[sonconmas]

@tuts333 It prevents a complete electrical circuit flowing through your body!

[cjdistheman1]

to make thing short voltage want to go down to the ground so don't touch the ground and the power at the same time

[Viokehd]

@tuts333 This WorkSafeBC video explains why: .../watch?v=Xvlk_73bSvc

Or, search for "A Bright Arc (6 of 7): Contact With a Power Line"

[Jadama0]

Look at the bunny hop!

[UninflatedDevil462]

@emctv So hypothetically speaking... if i could fly and i touched a live wire.. i would be okay?

[BartMan444]

@geon106 no because when you're touching the metal shell, ur not making a curcuit, its when ur completing the curcuit by touching the car and the ground at the same time, and u have to shuffle away with ur feet together or hop because theres electricity coursing through the ground and this prevents another curcuit <---hope i spelled that right lol

[jpgbrookes]

this is the way i visualize it based on how ive read this. the distance from the car door to the actual pavement is the same as a gap between two lengths of wire. when you touch the car with one leg and the pavement with another leg, you are essentially connecting the two wires together and completing the circuit. is this right?