What do you do if your car hits a telephone pole?

Question

This didn't happen to me.. but this girl I know crashed into a telephone pole and it was teetering and about to fall on her car. Her friend told her not to get out because she could get electrocuted by the wires so they stayed in the car as the pole came crashing down on them. No one was hurt though but she did cause a blackout in the whole area for more than 24 hours.

So I'm wondering... whats the best thing to do in that situation? Stay in the car? Or run out and get electrocuted? (if that is even a possibility)

Answer 1

its batter to stay in the car

Answer 2

Sue the telephone pole for jumping in front of your car!

Answer 3

I was going to funny and say "phone home", but the safest action is what they did.

If live wires do land across a car, the metal body conduct the power instead of traveling through humans.

It's also a good idea to stay in side the car if you get caught in a severe thunderstorm will lots of lightning.

Answer 4

Electrocution is very possible.Inside or out of the car.Best to stay in the car.

Next time some one hits a telly phone pole say sorry when it's a wrong number don't just hang up!~~

Answer 5

If at all possible stay in the vehicle and try and get your entire body on the seat and don't touch anything.

Answer 6

Staying in the car was the best you could do because it insulates you from the power by the tires but you still have to keep away from any metal in the car.. If the car was still running I would have backed up a safe distance from the pole to keep it from crushing me though. It seems trite to say this but it was a power pole not a telephone pole , they don't have enough electricity to do you harm.

Answer 7

if those wires hit you they not only could but would KILL you right where you stood so staying in the car was a good idea

Answer 8

STAY IN THE CAR!

(You heard me say that, right??)

OK. The reason you stay in the car until emergency personnel arrive and help you out is because you sre safer in there if wires have come down on your car.

Think about it. You step out of the car (unless you can somehow do it without touching the car and the ground at once), and you complete an electrical short-circuit to earth ground.  Even the small power lines can carry up to several kilovolts and enough current to turn you into a pretty crispy critter in seconds.

On the other hand, if you stay IN the car-you'll stay alive and uninjured until they cut the power off.

Most people have this idea that the rubber tires will insulate you from ground-OK, what if it's raining. Your tires are wet, where's yer insulation?  There ISN'T any-the current will travel to ground on the outside of the tires conducted perfectly by the water on the surfaces.

No, the reason you're safer in your car (and another reason most car interiors are made of mostly plastic parts instead of all that fancy chrome and painted metal that they used to be made of) is because should a live power line contact your vehicle, any electrical current will be conducted AROUND your body through the metal of the car and the tires to ground.

  Even if your car isn't earth grounded by rain, AC current changes polarity 50-60 times/second so the metal will still be electrically "hot."

But you'll be safe and insulated surrounded by plastic parts until help arrives.

Answer 9

Blame the telephone pole

Answer 10

Kind of silly to stay in a car that's about to get crushed. I would have gotten out of that car pronto and tried to avoid any wires as I got away.

Answer 11

Cars don't hit telephone poles, by the way. People driving cars hit telephone poles.

And yes, your friend is lucky that she did stay in the car because fallen live lines can be extremely dangerous although having a huge pole fall on your car isn't good either but chances are much better that you wouldn't be hurt by that than jumping live lines.