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PAGE 4 | JANUARY 2014


Snow and ice can cause power line accidents W


inter driving is a challenge, not only negotiating snow and slush, but also trying


to avoid skidding off the pavement when encountering an unseen patch of ice. When cars and trucks leave the pavement because of poor winter driving conditions, tragedy can be compounded if utility poles are hit and overhead power lines come down.


Safe Electricity’s 2010 “Teach Learn Care TLC” campaign featured the fate of four Indiana teens whose vehicle collided with a utility pole. Wires ended up draped around the overturned car. Tey were able to escape injury by remaining in the vehicle until utility crewmen could turn off the power and create a safe opportunity for the driver and passengers to exit.


Safe Electricity offers these tips for anyone involved in a vehicle accident involving power lines.


Stay in the vehicle Like the teens in the Teach Learn Care campaign, motorists should stay in the vehicle if possible.


Hop with feet together If motorists must get out because of fire or other danger, they should jump clear of the vehicle without touching it and the ground at the same time. Ten they should hop with their feet together—they shouldn’t run or stride. Electricity spreads out through the ground in ripples, like a stone dropped in water. Te voltage is highest in the ring closest to the vehicle and decreases with distance. Hop with feet together so that one foot will not be in a higher voltage zone than another, which could make the occupant a conductor for electricity.


If the power line is still energized and occupants step outside, their bodies become the path for that electricity, and


POLES AND LINES DOWN ALONG A ROAD FOLLOWING AN ICE STORM. PHOTO SOURCE: NRECA, CHRIS KIRK, TENNESSEE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION.


electrocution is the tragic result. Even if a power line has landed on the ground, there is still the potential for the area near the car to be energized. Motorists should stay inside the vehicle unless there is fire or imminent risk of fire. It is best to wait until local electric utility crews arrive to make sure power to the line is cut off.


Be cautious when encountering a vehicle-power line accident Anyone who encounters an accident involving a vehicle skidding off a snow or ice-covered road and colliding with a utility pole, should not follow instinct and run to assist with the accident. Live electric lines may be on the ground or difficult to see if they are hanging low. Anyone responding to such a situation should be cautious of the potential for electrical injury or death. If someone comes upon an accident, he should call


emergency personnel for help and wait for linemen to de-energize the line, or he could become a victim himself.


Just because electric wires may be coated with ice or lying in snow or ice, does not reduce their danger. Tey can still carry electricity—which is not readily detectable—until it is felt, and then it may be too late to escape injury.


Members who would like to learn more about electrical safety should go to tcec.coop or SafeElectricity.org.


TCEC offers safety demonstrations to businesses, civic groups, schools and other organizations. Requests for demonstration can be sent via email to info@tcec.coop or members can call Erin Moore, member solutions coordinator,


at 580.652.3826. n


Sources: Safe Electricity


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