You’d think that lightning striking a truck with its driver still inside, would be fatal, but fortunately, in this case, it just made for a great YouTube video. That’s right, the driver from Russia “appears to be left unharmed by the thousand-volt hit and in the footage, he carries on driving for a few seconds, before rolling to a stop.” Continue reading for the video and more information.
The driver seems unharmed by the incident, likely saved by his vehicle’ metal construct. While you might assume the rubber tyres of a vehicle is responsible for the safety of the driver, it is more likely the Faraday Cage principle that protects him. A largely metal object, or object surrounded by a metal mesh, will spread the force of a ligtning strike across the entire surface area, leaving the insides untouched by the current. This protects passengers who are within an airplane, and is also similar technology to how a microwave works – although in this case the cage is keeping the radio-wave transmissions from escaping the microwave.
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