Cars in the 21st century are primarily associated with comfort and safety, and only then are the indicators of efficiency and functionality, which are not always fundamental when choosing a vehicle. At the same time, such unpleasant moments as electric shocks when touching the car body should not darken the life of its owner with unpleasant sensations. The same goes for security.
1. Major hazards in electric shock from a vehicle
Why does a car get an electric shock, and how dangerous is it for a person and the car itself? In fact, this thing is quite harmless, but even it, like any other phenomenon, has a few exceptions that can lead to tragedy.
So, whatever the nature of the condensed current discharge, it is dangerous with the following consequences:
Fear and surprise are the very factors that can cause objects to fall to the ground from the hands of unlucky passengers. Drivers are often more prepared in this matter, but when passengers encounter an unexplained phenomenon, they drop expensive phones, bags with groceries, and other valuables on the road.
Just imagine what will happen if at the moment of a more powerful discharge of current there is a child in your hands? The problem, which at first glance does not seem so important, requires a solution. It was found in the form of a set of measures aimed at eliminating the effect of a person's electric shock through a car.
2. What to do if a person is to blame for an electric shock
There are three main reasons why a car electrocutes a person - these are static electricity from the body, interior and breakdown of wires.
Any substance, to a greater or lesser extent, is capable of accumulating electrical charges - static electricity. In our case, the car is an excellent capacitor with a very large capacity, therefore, in the first case, it will be the culprit of the discharge. In the second case, the person himself will be to blame - or rather, his clothes made of wool or synthetics, capable of accumulating a sufficient amount of free electrons.
It should be noted that clothing itself is not capable of being charged with current, unless favorable conditions are created for this. For example, in the form of interaction of synthetic car covers with the clothes of the driver and passengers.
From this, an elementary conclusion can be drawn - in order for the car not to be shocked, you need to change your usual wardrobe from synthetics to cotton. Things made of this material do not accumulate charges of free electrons, and you will have nothing to discharge against a car or any other metal object.
In order to generate as little static electricity as possible during friction, regularly damp the interior, do not let the air dry. Of course, it will be much easier and cheaper to replace the covers with other ones with anti-static properties than bothering with the choice of clothes every day.
Another way is to use a special spray that temporarily removes the static qualities of materials. The main disadvantage of this method is its fragility. After a week, you will be electrocuted again and will have to re-spray each chair.
3. What to do if the vehicle electrical system is "to blame"
When a person is the cause of a current discharge, it is he who acts as a capacitor of energy. But if electricity accumulates in the car body, the methods described above will no longer help.
It is important to learn how to distinguish static electricity from electricity from the vehicle's electrical system. If there is a breakdown of the armored wire on the vehicle body, it will constantly accumulate a charge up to impressive hundreds of watts, as a result of which a short-term discharge with a current will be so strong that it will not be possible to confuse it with static electricity.
If there is a breakdown, immediately after the first electric shock and the complete discharge of the "capacitor", the car body will begin to be charged with electricity again. In this case, a new blow can be received almost immediately, again touching the metal part of the body with your hands. If this happens, it’s not static at all, and you urgently need a good car electrician.
You should not hesitate with the repair, because stray currents can seriously damage the electrical equipment of the car and even cause a fire or explosion if gas equipment is used in the fuel system.
4. If static electricity builds up on the body
If the matter is in static electricity, then after its discharge, the car will not accumulate electricity, or it will do it very slowly, over weeks or even months. Thus, touching the body of your car the next day, you will not feel an unpleasant tingling sensation in your hand.
Even if the car is stationary, its body still accumulates static electricity. This happens when the metal comes into contact with moving charged dust particles, which, in contact with the body, give up their charges to the car.
Naturally, during movement, the condensation of the body by static electric occurs in a more intensive mode, and the higher the speed, the stronger the charge. Therefore, do not be surprised if, after many hours of driving to the resort town at one of the stops, you are shaken not childishly by a couple of thousand watts, which in a split second will dissolve in the ground, leaving a mountain of unpleasant emotions about themselves.
To prevent this from happening in the future, when leaving the car, touch any metal part of the body with your hand, and only then step on the ground. In this case, an unpleasant discharge with current will not follow.
When boarding a car, mainly taxis, which accumulate the most electricity, use any metal object to relieve voltage from the body. You can purchase a special car keychain that allows you to quickly discharge the "capacitor" and painlessly get into the car.
An electric shock is an extremely unpleasant thing, and grounding the body in the form of a rubberized copper conductor, one side clinging to the body, and the other touching the ground, will help to cope with this problem.
Cold wax is an excellent antistatic agent. After every body wash, apply wax protection, and you will forget about electric shocks for a long time. It is best to treat the body in spring and autumn, when the accumulation of static electricity is more intense.
In addition to getting rid of static electricity, there are many other driving subtleties, which are unlikely to be taught in driving schools.