Imagine you're driving on a rain-slick road. The car coming toward you from the opposite direction seems to be crossing into your lane. You swerve. Your car leaves the road and hits a utility pole. A power line is now dangling in front of you.

If you aren't injured and can move about, your instincts may tell you to get out. In this case, your natural inclinations could be dead wrong. Getting out of the vehicle, with few exceptions, is the wrong thing to do until the line has been de-energized.

You may consider this an unlikely scenario, but this kind of situation is more common than you think.

Drivers in Illinois hit utility poles more than 7,000 times each year. Ice, storm winds, trees or large equipment can also knock power lines down across roads. Also, tall farm and construction equipment come in contact with overhead power lines.

In the vast majority of these situations it's best to stay inside the vehicle - especially if the power line is in contact with it. If the line is still energized and you step outside, your body becomes the path for that electricity and electrocution is the tragic result.

Call or signal for help — it's OK to use a cell phone if you have one - and wait until the electric utility arrives to make sure power to the line is cut off.

The only exception would be if fire or other danger, like the smell of gasoline, is present. In that case, the proper action is to jump - not step — with both feet hitting the ground at the same time. Jump clear, without touching the vehicle and ground at the same time. Hop or shuffle to safety keeping both feet together as you leave the area.

Like the ripples in a pond or lake, the voltage diminishes the farther out it is from the source. Stepping from one voltage level to another allows the body to become a path for that electricity. A large difference in voltage between both feet could kill you.

Even if a power line has landed on the ground, there is still the potential for the area nearby to be energized. Stay inside the vehicle unless there's fire or imminent risk of fire.

With the planting season and construction starting to pick up, the risk for accidents increases. Those working with large equipment should stay in the cab if equipment extensions come in contact with power lines.

Be sure that at no time you or anyone touches the equipment and the ground at the same time. Call for help and wait until the electric utility arrives.

Misty Wilson can tell you from personal experience that these are life-saving steps. The Cambridge mother remembers an eventful morning drive to school with her two children, when the tall tractor in front of her snagged several overhead power lines, bringing one down across her van. Fortunately, she knew what to do. She told her children not to open the door or get out of the van. A short time later, utility crews shut off the power. She and her children got out of the van safely.

So spread the word. Make sure the drivers in your family are armed with this information. If you're a farmer or contractor, make sure your workers know what to do in a power line emergency.

For more life-saving information, visit www.SafeElectricity.org.

Molly Hall is the Director of Safe Electricity. E-mail: molly-hall@SafeElectricity. org.

14 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING www.aiec.coop