The rapid heating and cooling of air near the lightning channel causes a shock wave that results in thunder. Your chances of being struck by lightning are estimated to be 1 in 600,000 but those chances can be reduced by following safety rules. Most lightning deaths and injuries occur when people are caught outdoors, and most happen in the summer. Many fires in the western United States and Alaska are started by lightning. In the past 10 years, more than 15,000 fires have been started by lightning.
Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
If it is not raining, then there is no danger from lightning. The rubber soles of shoes or rubber tires on a car will protect you from being struck by lightning. However, the steel frame of a hard-topped vehicle provides increased protection if you are not touching metal. Although you may be injured if lightning strikes your car, you are much safer inside a vehicle than outside. People struck by lightning carry an electrical charge and should not be touched.