Lightning & fiberglass van tops

[user 423]

Send an email to UPS and ask them how many of their trucks have been hit by lightning. The tops of the trucks are made of translucent fiberglass. If they say "none" and since they have over 100,000 trucks, would that be enough to ease your mind?

 

[TrainChaser]

I'm not afraid of it, I just wonder when 'everybody says' something and it sounds like gossip, rather than gospel. False assumptions. It's the biggest problem with the Internet, IMO.

You can find a lot of cars and pickups that have been hit by lightning. Even motorcycles. Trees. Buildings. Water tanks. Fenceposts. Fishing poles. Golf clubs. People. The Statue of Liberty. The Empire State Building. The Eiffel Tower. Power poles. Chimneys. Cows. Flag poles. Radio towers. The ground. Water on the ground. Skyscrapers. Umbrellas.

But no fiberglass-topped vehicles, despite all of the warnings. I guess that I'm the only one that finds that odd.

 

[TrainChaser]

p.s. A lot of people are going feel kind of dumb if science finds out that fiberglass is a lightning DEFLECTOR.

 

[highdesertranger]

cows, instant BBQ. yum. highdesertranger

 

[TrainChaser]

HDR, does cooking them with the guts still inside change the flavor?

 

[highdesertranger]

yes it gives the meat the paleo flavor. highdesertranger

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I'm not afraid of it, I just wonder when 'everybody says' something and it sounds like gossip, rather than gospel.  False assumptions.  It's the biggest problem with the Internet, IMO . . . 
But no fiberglass-topped vehicles, despite all of the warnings.  I guess that I'm the only one that finds that odd.

'Everybody says' that you are safest in a fully enclosed metal vehicle is because the physics explains why and experience indicates it is true.

The problem IMO is that the compiled statistics do not go into the kind of detail you want.  I can find data on cars being hit, but not on if that car is a Yugo, Corvette, convertible, roadster, . . .  There are about 253 million vehicles on the road in the US, about 4% of those are RVs of all classifications.  There are about 10 vehicle/lightning incidents a year.

This is the best I found.  Holle separates the data into all metal enclosed and all others and does not define well what the others encompass.  You may want to contact him; he might be able to answer your question.

http://lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/lightning-caused-deaths-around-vehicles.pdf

Or you can look in the NOAA 'Storm Data' database.  It is huge, it is comprehensive, it will take a lot of time to search.

p.s.  A lot of people are going feel kind of dumb if science finds out that fiberglass is a lightning DEFLECTOR.

My house has fiberglass shingles (as do most houses these days).  2 lightning strikes in 23 years in my neighborhood.

You raised an interesting question and I am satisfied that the recommendation that you retreat to an all metal car in a lightning storm is a good one.

 -- Spiff

 

[John61CT]

> My house has fiberglass shingles (as do most houses these days).

I never even heard of such a thing!

 

[John61CT]

Did yo mean to post that in this thread?

 

[QinReno]

Did yo mean to post that in this thread?

What, are you lost? It seems the john on the one hand is not in very good communications with the john on the other hand. Or are you trying to ding on Spiff after almost a year? Stop trying. Trust me, Spaceman Spiff is untraceable and untouchable. Too fast for you! OTOH, many of the posts on that thread "were" uninformed.

 

[MrNoodly]

Send an email to UPS and ask them how many of their trucks have been hit by lightning. The tops of the trucks are made of translucent fiberglass.

And what about RVs?

 

[John61CT]

What, are you lost? 

The post I asked about got removed.

Was Cyndi about the Viking ship

 

[QinReno]

The post I asked about got removed.

Was Cyndi about the Viking ship

Cyndi, Viking ship? Does she get to remove her own posts? Well Duh, in that case, Spaceman Spiff forgives you, LOL. Carry on. (darn, and just when I thought I had you, too).

 

[John61CT]

Yes mods get to do that. Not sure what you're on about otherwise though?

 

[QinReno]

Yes mods get to do that. Not sure what you're on about otherwise though?

I was certain that the lack of electrolytes in your diet was doing you in (all for fun).

 

[QinReno]

Yes mods get to do that. Not sure what you're on about otherwise though?

Do I have to take back the -3 now that I gave you a couple of days ago?
https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=23199&pid=396677#pid396677