April 2008 Be ‘Willie’ Smart
Stay in the car! Stay in the car!
Electric co-op mascot Willie Wiredhand says STAY IN THE CAR if your car hits a utility pole. Call for help and wait till you get an OK from an electric lineman or a trained rescuer before stepping out.
If you’re ever riding in a car and for any reason it leaves the road and hits a utility pole, do you know what to do? The answer: STAY IN THE CAR!
Your first instinct may be to get out and see if everyone’s OK, but you can’t do that when you hit a utility pole. Don’t open the doors; don’t step outside. Your life may depend on it. Warn those you are with to stay in the car, too!
The reason? Power lines may have fallen and could still be energized.
Overhead power lines are tightly mounted atop poles. But whenever a car or a truck strikes a pole, power lines can break loose and fall to the ground.
They could fall on your car or drop nearby. If you get out, you could become the path to ground for the electricity. It could go through you and kill you. Or, you could brush up next to a fallen power line, or step on one; they are hard to see, especially if it’s dark. Fallen power lines can even energize the ground nearby.
Please stay inside your car. You’ll be safe there. Call 9-1-1 on a cell phone or yell to others to get help. Tell others to stay away until the electric linemen come to make sure the lines are clear and safe. Then you can get out.
Only in the rare case of fire should you try to get out. Then look for a safe place and leap clear from the car — never touching the ground and the car at the same time. Then bunny hop with feet together away from the pole to safety. You hop with feet together or shuffle away so that — should the ground be energized by a line — one foot doesn’t fall into a different voltage zone than the other.
(Electricity spreads out through the ground like ripples like a pebble dropped in water. The voltage is highest in the ring closest to where the power line is touching the ground and decreases with distance.)
Also, if you ever come upon an accident involving a utility pole, do not leave your vehicle to approach the scene. Again, downed power lines are hard to see and you could walk right into one, or they could be energizing the ground and you could be shocked just walking toward the accident.
Here’s a link to all of Willie’s “Be ‘Willie’ Smart” tips
Willie Wiredhand ©NRECA
Written By: eceditor
Date Posted: 3/28/2008
Number of Views: 283
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