The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →If a power line falls on or touches your car, assume it is energized. In most situations, the safest response is to stay inside the vehicle, call 911, and keep everyone away. Do not trust the tires, do not touch the line, and do not step out normally. Leave the car only if fire or another immediate life-threatening danger makes staying inside more dangerous—and then use the jump-and-shuffle technique.
1. Stay inside the car unless there is an immediate life-threatening danger
A downed power line can energize the vehicle, the ground around it, and objects touching it. The line may still be dangerous even if it is not sparking, smoking, humming, or visibly damaged. Treat every fallen line as live until the utility company or emergency responders confirm otherwise. The Electrical Safety Foundation International and Duke Energy both warn against assuming that a vehicle is safe simply because its tires are made of rubber.
Remain in the passenger compartment and avoid touching the power line, the car’s exterior, or any object the line is touching. If there are passengers, tell them to stay inside and avoid exposed metal or the door frame. Do not open a door and put a foot on the ground to “test” whether the car is safe.
The tires do not make the vehicle reliably insulated. A vehicle’s metal body and tires can conduct electricity to the ground. Staying inside is safer because you are not simultaneously touching an energized vehicle and the ground outside it.
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Do not drive over the line. It may still be energized, and it could become entangled with the vehicle or create another hazard. Do not attempt to move it with a stick, broom, rope, or other object. Even an object commonly considered nonconductive can conduct electricity when wet.
2. Call 911 and keep other people away
Call 911 from inside the vehicle and tell the dispatcher that a power line is on or touching your car. Give your location and describe any fire, smoke, injuries, blocked roadway, or other immediate danger. If your phone is unavailable, use the horn to attract attention—but do not invite anyone to approach the vehicle.
Warn bystanders to stay away from the car, the line, and anything touching the line. You can use the horn, your phone, or—if it can be done without touching the energized vehicle or stepping outside—an open window to shout a warning. A simple instruction is: “Stay back. Do not touch the car or the line. Call 911.”
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Keep people at least 35 feet away from the line, the vehicle, and objects in contact with it. They should stay farther away in wet conditions. The California Public Utilities Commission, ESFI, and Ready Illinois all emphasize keeping a wide distance from downed lines.
Never touch a person, animal, or object that may be energized. You could become part of the electrical path. Do not try to pull a passenger out while standing on the ground, and do not let a bystander “rescue” you by opening the door or grabbing you.
3. If you must escape, jump clear and shuffle away
Staying inside is normally the safer option. Exit only if the car is on fire or another immediate life-threatening condition makes remaining inside more dangerous than leaving. A crash, smoke, or fire can change the decision quickly; follow the 911 dispatcher’s instructions if you can do so safely.
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If you must get out:
- Open the door without touching the ground. Move loose clothing out of the way if possible so it does not catch on the car or create an additional contact point.
- Jump clear. Do not step down. Push or jump away from the vehicle so no part of your body touches the car and the ground at the same time.
- Land with both feet together. Keep your feet touching or as close together as possible.
- Shuffle away in small steps. Keep both feet close together and on the ground as you move away. Do not run, walk normally, or take long strides.
- Continue until you are well away. Move at least 35 feet from the car and line, and farther if the ground is wet. Do not return to the vehicle or approach the line.
This technique reduces the chance that electricity moving through the ground will enter through one foot and leave through the other. A normal step can place your feet at different electrical potentials, allowing current to pass through your body. The ESFI, California Public Utilities Commission, and a National Fire Protection Association report describe jumping clear and shuffling away rather than stepping or running.
If the power line falls while your car is moving
If a line falls across the car while you are still driving, remain inside. The CDC advises continuing to drive away only when the vehicle can move away without driving over the line or entering another hazard. For example, do not continue if doing so would take you through traffic, off a safe roadway, into a crash risk, or across the line itself.
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If the engine stalls or you cannot safely move away, stop, stay in the car, warn people away, and call 911 and the local utility. Do not get out just because the line is no longer visibly sparking.
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What not to do
- Do not assume no sparks means no danger. A downed line can remain energized without visible or audible signs.
- Do not rely on the tires. They are not a guarantee that the vehicle is isolated from the ground.
- Do not step out normally. Touching the vehicle and ground at the same time can make your body the path for current.
- Do not jump out unless you must. Escape is an emergency option, not the routine response to a line touching the car.
- Do not run after exiting. Shuffle with your feet together to reduce the risk from voltage differences in the ground.
- Do not drive over the line. It can remain energized or become entangled with the car.
- Do not move the line. A stick, broom, rope, or other object is not a safe tool for handling it, particularly when wet.
- Do not help someone else out while you are on the ground. Wait for emergency responders, unless your own immediate survival requires you to escape—and then follow the same jump-and-shuffle method.
The decision in one glance
| Situation | Safest response |
|---|---|
| The car is intact and there is no immediate threat inside | Stay inside, avoid the line and exterior, call 911, and keep others at least 35 feet away. |
| The car is moving when the line falls | Drive away only if you can do so without crossing the line or creating another hazard. Otherwise stop and stay inside. |
| The car is on fire or remaining inside is immediately life-threatening | Jump clear without touching the car and ground at the same time, land with both feet together, and shuffle away. |
| You are outside the car | Do not approach. Stay at least 35 feet away, farther in wet conditions, and call 911. |
Why staying inside is usually the right choice
A power line can energize the vehicle at one voltage while the ground around it has changing voltages. The greatest danger during an ordinary exit is creating a bridge between those two areas: one part of your body touches the car while another touches the ground. Remaining inside avoids that simultaneous contact. If you are forced to leave, the jump-and-shuffle method is designed to limit the path electricity can take through your body.
Wait for emergency responders or the utility company to make the scene safe. Even after the line appears to have moved or the car seems normal, do not approach it until qualified personnel say it is safe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I get out of my car if a power line touches it?
Usually, no. Stay inside, call 911, and keep others away. Exit only if fire or another immediate life-threatening danger makes remaining inside more dangerous.
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Are car tires safe insulation from a downed power line?
No. Do not rely on rubber tires. The vehicle’s metal body and tires can conduct electricity, and the danger comes from creating a path between the energized car and the ground.
How do I get out of a car with a live power line on it?
Open the door without stepping onto the ground, jump clear so you do not touch the car and ground simultaneously, land with both feet together, and shuffle away in small steps. Continue at least 35 feet away, and farther in wet conditions.
Can I drive away if a line falls on my moving car?
Only if the vehicle can move away without driving over the line or entering another hazard. If it cannot, stop, stay inside, warn others away, and call 911 and the local utility.
The Bottom Line
Stay in the car, call 911, and keep everyone at least 35 feet away. Leave only for an immediate life-threatening emergency, and then jump clear with both feet together and shuffle away—never step out normally or run.
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