Bonneville America Forums Forums Rider Safety Forums Riding Technique Hide From Lightning?

VA Beach rider killed by lightning strike. Something else to consider when caught in a T-storm.

I guess it's an old wives tale that the rubber tires of a vehicle prevent lightning strikes.

Whoa! I guess that goes to show ya....Don't borrow God's wheels, without His permission.

Dwight
(gallows humor at it's questionable best)

There's nothin rubber tires or shoes are gonna do for you in a lightening strike. You think if a spark is gonna jump several thousand feet from a cloud to the ground where you are standing that a couple inches of rubber is gonna make a difference?! No way!! The only reason you are safe in a car is that the electricity will travel around the outside of a metal object. So just keep your hands inside the windows and try not to touch the body if you have exposed metal inside, like an old truck or something with no headliner. If you on a bike. Find a bridge or something....

You got that right, Ben. A teamster that I know was struck while in his truck, had both windows down and it just came right through! Fortunatly he wasn't hurt, just shook up. We get some major thunderstorms around here at times, I just hole up 'til it's gone if I get caught in one. If you can see it, it can get you.

I spent 3 summers living on Cedar Mountain (Utah) not too far from Las Vegas. You're right, I can remember some amazing August electrical shows boil up in that country. Lightening would flash all night long. Very respectful, I watched a bolt strike an oak tree, "get into" some metal corral panels, jump out and hit a guy standing a few feet away from me in the sternum. It knocked him flat. He was OK but black and blue, with very sore ribs and decided to take the rest of the day off. We don't get THAT kind of storm around here, but I don't take any chances. Especially not on a motorpsycho.

jh

Quote:

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Lightening would flash all night long.

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I miss real lightning storms. Being here in the Northwest, we get a flash of lightning once or twice a year. I grew up in Utah and lived several other places that had some AWESOME lightning storms. I remember a couple times staying up almost all night just watching the lighting.

Soren

Bill,
It can get you even if you can't see it. Lightning can strike as far as 10 miles away from the storm that generates it. I used to like to watch it as well, but the strikes around here seem to be getting more ferocious each year. Now I duck and cover... they say if you feel your hair start to rise you should hit the deck and make yourself as small as possible.

Lightning struck an oak tree in my dad's front yard several years ago. This tree is about 60 ft. tall and a good 3 1/2 feet in diameter. It peeled a 2 foot wide swath of bark off the length of that tree and sent it flying all over the place.... When I was cleaning up the mess, I found what looked like a thick leaf laying about 100 feet away. Turns out it was a chipmunk - he was instantly well-done cajun style....

Right you are, Grump. We generally have way more than ten miles visibility here, so I didn't think about those areas that don't, mea culpa .
One of our equipment operators was walking to a piece of equipment in the yard a few years back when the button on top of his cap got hot, he hit the dirt and just a second later a bolt hit a crane about fifty feet away from him.

If you were riding a Rocket III, you wouldn't have to hide, you could outrun it.
Test drove the Rocket yesterday and all I can say is WOW!