Fredericksburg, Va. – A downed power line doesn’t have to spark, smoke or make noise to be dangerous. It may still be energized — and electricity can travel through the ground and nearby objects.
Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) reminds everyone to treat all downed or low-hanging lines as energized. Stay at least 35 feet away from the line and anything it may be touching, including trees, fences, vehicles and standing water.
The safety rule is straightforward, but estimating 35 feet in a yard, driveway or on the road can be difficult.
To help picture the correct distance, think of these familiar examples:
- The width of a doubles tennis court
A regulation doubles tennis court is 36 feet wide — almost exactly the minimum distance you should maintain from a downed line.
- Two parking spaces, end to end
A typical parking space is about 18 feet long. Two placed end to end equal roughly 36 feet. Picture the length of two parked vehicles and the spaces around them.
- A full-size school bus
A large school bus can be close to 40 feet long. Picture one full-size bus between you and the downed line — not a smaller bus or passenger van.
- A 40-foot shipping container
The shipping containers commonly seen on tractor-trailers, trains and construction sites are 40 feet long. Using one as a visual guide provides several extra feet of separation.
These comparisons are meant to help estimate distance — not to encourage anyone to approach a line for measurement purposes. When uncertain, move farther away. More distance is always safer.
Whether you picture a tennis court, parking spaces, a school bus or a shipping container, use that visual as a starting point — then give the line even more room. If you’re unsure, move farther away, keep others back, and call 911 and REC at 800-552-3904.