Touching Lightning Touching Lightning During part of our regular lightning shows the demonstrator raises the cage so that it will be struck by the sparks. We do this to demonstrate why it is safe to be in a car during a lightning storm.
Most people believe that the reason has to do with the rubber tires, rubber being an insulator .
If a lightning bolt has just travelled two or more miles through air, an inch or two of rubber will not make much difference. However, that is not needed as there is a more effective protection involved. That is the source of your safety. Many people who know that it is the metal not the tires assume that the car forms a Faraday Cage , but that is also not the reason. The real reason is something called the skin effect .