Tornado Safety?

Question

I always read that if you're in your car and a tornado is nearby, it's safer to get out and find a ditch on the side of the road. How can a ditch be safer? Wouldn't the winds from a tornado blow you away?

Answer 1

You will be underground and the winds will blow over you.  If you are in a car, the tornado will pick your car up and toss it.  You are safer underground, as in a ditch. You still have to worry about debri though, so if you ARE in the ditch, make sure you cover your head with your hands, or anything you may have with you at the time.

Answer 2

In a car, the tornado will pick it up and toss it around. Even when a car is traveling 85 mph plus, it'll be hard to outrun a tornado because it's hard to tell which way it's going. The car will most likely be totaled and you could get stuck inside of it.  Inside a ditch, the winds could pick you up but you would be a lot safer without being in a car.

Answer 3

The main idea behind getting in a ditch is that the wind of the tornado will blow above you, just like normal winds.  Tornadoes do not contain a powerful suction force as is widely believed, thus if you can get as low as possible, the winds of the tornado and any embedded debris has the best chance of passing over you, certainly better than being exposed, or in a car.