YES. Only use a mobile phone inside a safe vehicle or building. It is safe to use a mobile phone as long as you are inside a safe building or vehicle. However, it is not safe to use a mobile phone outdoors during a thunderstorm, and this is only because it is just not safe to be outside. The lack of safety has nothing to do with the mobile phone itself because cellphones do NOT attract lightning.

NO. It is the metal shell of a car, rather than the rubber tires, that provides protection. When lightning strikes a car, the current travels through the exterior metal shell of the car and then to the ground via the axles and tires. Consequently, a person fully inside the car will be protected from the lightning current.

NO. Tents have no metal exterior frame that is strong enough to carry the lightning current to ground to protect a person inside. You should leave a tent and seek a safe building or a vehicle during a thunderstorm.

NO. Around 10% of all lightning fatalities and injuries in the world are related to trees. When a tree is struck by lightning, a side flash can “jump” horizontally from the tree trunk to a person next to the tree. In addition, the lightning current will flow outward from the trunk across the ground to people or animals standing beneath the tree. Moreover, pieces of bark and branches can explode horizontally.

NO. A thin layer of rubber at the bottom of your shoes is impossible to save you from the power of a direct lightning strike. However, if you are far enough away from the lightning strike location, then you may be safe because the step voltage decreases with distance. Therefore, it is the distance, rather than the rubber-soled shoes that may save you from a lightning strike.

YES. Passengers inside a commercial plane are safe from a lightning strike. Instead of going inside the plane, the lightning current travels around the conducting metal exterior and dissipates into the air. There is also special lightning protection for the fuel tanks and electronic devices.